going for my first NCT...

cltt97

going for my first nct in two weeks. was going to have my car serviced first, but then read it would be better to go for nct first, so if anything needs fixing, they'll tell me. Makes sense, but just wondering what should I be doing before I bring it for the test - other than checking air pressure in tires, filling up the water, oil, windscreen wipers... and cleaning car... i always thought this is a road safety test, but I've heard the weirdest things... so any tips most welcome!

cats.life

bulbs that work and positioned properly. as in low and high beam.no play in stering. tyre dept.back brake lights..straight,n your reg plate. that was said to mr cats.life last time.

sean1141

dont have any air freshners hanging out of the rear view mirror. have all the safety belts out if the rears are stuffed under the seat.. it might be worth changing the oil and filter befor you do the test.. what car is it and what year?

GTE

Why would you change the oil and filter?

sean1141

car will run better on fresh oil. now if it was only changed a few thousand miles or a few months ago i wouldn't bother but the op seems to be postponing a service till after it passes the test..

if it was some old banger that you were going to scrap if it failed dont bother but if it was its first nct (06reg) change it!

sean1141

sean1141 wrote: »

dont have any air freshners hanging out of the rear view mirror.

Why's that ?

bernardo mac

You're on the right track.Failed first one because previous owner had installed green parking lights and one of the back seat's safety belts was stuck under seat.. post folding.Fairly straight forward.Good luck!

sean1141

they can refuse to test the car

GTE

sean1141 wrote: »

car will run better on fresh oil. now if it was only changed a few thousand miles or a few months ago i wouldn't bother but the op seems to be postponing a service till after it passes the test..

if it was some old banger that you were going to scrap if it failed dont bother but if it was its first nct (06reg) change it!

In what aspect would it run better? Its an interesting piece of advice though.

sean1141 wrote: »

they can refuse to test the car

The air freshener around the mirror?

sean1141

im no mechanic but when i change the oil in my car the engine always runs smoother and quieter. also get a few extra mpg
i guess the oil is new it lubs the engine better and puts less presure on it.. all olny my opinion do..

bazz26

Check the condition of your tyres, make sure there is even wear on them and there is more than the minimum thread depth of 1.6mm on them.

Remove any plastic wheel trim (hubcaps) or centre caps on alloy wheels so that the wheel nuts are visible and can be accessed by the tester.

Have the headlights alignment checked and adjusted, most garages will do this for around €20/25.

Make sure the boot is empty.

Make sure the car is clean.

Other than the above just send it through and let them tell you what needs fixing.

There is more info here on how to prepare:

http://www.nct.ie/pdf/nctbrochure.pdf

GTE

sean1141 wrote: »

im no mechanic but when i change the oil in my car the engine always runs smoother and quieter. also get a few extra mpg
i guess the oil is new it lubs the engine better and puts less presure on it.. all olny my opinion do..

I didnt see any NCT test that would take the condition of the oil into account. You could check the dipstick but oil can go black fairly quick in some cars anyway.

IMO, if your car needs a fluid service and if the NCT is quite close to the service interval then you may as well leave the service plus any NCT failures (if any) until after the NCT. If the car needs a full service then that shouldn't be left untill after the NCT because technically anything picked up by a full service should be picked up by the NCT so there should be nothing wrong.
It really depends on the timing of it though.

If the NCT is mid service interval then there is no point as you say but I dont see any baring new or old oil has on the NCT. Similarly there is no point sending it in for a service pre NCT in the first place.


Bazz is spot on.

Roanmore

bazz26 wrote: »

Check the condition of your tyres, make sure there is even wear on them and there is more than the minimum thread depth of 1.6mm on them.

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Also make sure the tyres have the E mark on them.

bazz26

Whatever you do, do not be fooled into getting one of those pre NCT tests being advertised. They are a waste of money and there is still no guarantee that the car will pass.

sean1141

i do the fluid services myself so i dont mind doing an oil and filter before a test. i usually change my oil every 6500 miles anyway. i checked the oil in my sisters corolla (1.6petrol) the other day. it was due a service soon and the oil was no way black at all. where as my own diesel the oil would be black in no time.

the oil is not tested but with the tester reving the crap out of the engine (well diesel anyway) i would rather have fresh oil in it

sean1141

bbk wrote: »

The air freshener around the mirror?

yup my sister was was refused a test because of this. the guy was sound enough to let her go out and take it off but he told her he could refuse to test the car if he wanted. i also heard of a car sales man leaving a car to be tested in the days when you didnt have to be there with the car and the tester wouldnt do it because of the air freshner:eek: seems a bit ott if ya ask me

GTE

sean1141 wrote: »

i do the fluid services myself so i dont mind doing an oil and filter before a test. i usually change my oil every 6500 miles anyway. i checked the oil in my sisters corolla (1.6petrol) the other day. it was due a service soon and the oil was no way black at all. where as my own diesel the oil would be black in no time.

the oil is not tested but with the tester reving the crap out of the engine (well diesel anyway) i would rather have fresh oil in it

Well that is just your preference on how you change the oil for your car to be fair. If the OP has a service interval around the NCT then oil will be changed either before or after and there is no issue and if its mid interval then the oil is no issue either.

With a car that is being service properly the NCT shouldnt break it or cause extra wear on the engine unless the drive up the the centre is so short the engine doesnt heat up, which is unlikely.

Though Im a fan of changing the oil more regularly then the cars printed fluid service interval I would disagree that a normally serviced car would experience any damage/wear because of the tests carried out.

sean1141 wrote: »

yup my sister was was refused a test because of this. the guy was sound enough to let her go out and take it off but he told her he could refuse to test the car if he wanted. i also heard of a car sales man leaving a car to be tested in the days when you didnt have to be there with the car and the tester wouldnt do it because of the air freshner:eek: seems a bit ott if ya ask me

Thats very weird. Must be a tester having a badish day or something. I got through with the air freshiner in Fonthill so people thats how you get around that one lol. Hoards of people heading to fonthill to avoid being refused. God that is OTT!

Cosmo K

sean1141 wrote: »

yup my sister was was refused a test because of this. the guy was sound enough to let her go out and take it off but he told her he could refuse to test the car if he wanted. i also heard of a car sales man leaving a car to be tested in the days when you didnt have to be there with the car and the tester wouldnt do it because of the air freshner:eek: seems a bit ott if ya ask me

Sorry, but thats BS!

sean1141

Cosmo K wrote: »

Sorry, but thats BS!

true story

GTE

sean1141 wrote: »

true story

Still BS though. He must have been playing a game with her for the craic.

sean1141

heard of it happening to a few people. usually testers told them to take them off before they brought the car in.. sur could be classified as an obstruction to your view of the road

cltt97

Well, it's a Nissan Note 06, I had a "small service" beginning of last year, I think they changes the oil, although I'm not entirely sure, I must check. I don't have any fragrances or any smelly stuff in the car, so should be fine on that front. I didn't know about the plastic caps on the wheels, will take them off. I heard you needed to make sure the car was clean, especially underneath - now how on earth do you clean a car underneat???
I also need to change windscreen wipers - I guess I can just pick up new ones in B&Q or Woodies or any of those places?

sean1141

yuo need a service straight away. to clean the underneath get a powerwasher and stick the lance under it for a bit. as long as its not caked in muck you should be ok. personally i wouldnt get wiperblades in either of them places. stick to a decent brand loke bosh or velco (spelling). should be got in any decent motorfactors

cltt97

Does everyone really do this? Buy/hire/borrow a powerwasher and clean their cars underneath? This whole NCT business sounds absolutely ridiculous. You'd think you're entering your car for a beauty contest, not a road safety test!!!

cml387

sean1141 wrote: »

heard of it happening to a few people. usually testers told them to take them off before they brought the car in.. sur could be classified as an obstruction to your view of the road

Absolutely right.How many cars have I seen with dangle dollies or furry dice hanging off the mirror.The mirror itself creates enough of a blind spot.

BTW, hubcaps off.That get's forgotten, especially by me when I sent Mrs. CML's car off on Friday.

bazz26

cltt97 wrote: »

Does everyone really do this? Buy/hire/borrow a powerwasher and clean their cars underneath? This whole NCT business sounds absolutely ridiculous. You'd think you're entering your car for a beauty contest, not a road safety test!!!

All you have to do is bring it to a service station that has a manual power wash, throw the young lads washing the cars, a few euro extra and ask them to powerwash the underneath of the car including behind the wheel arches as best they can. All the NCT want is a fairly clean car so that they can poke and prod around underneath without lots of muck falling on their faces. It's only once every 2 years so hardly a big deal.

sean1141

plus they need to be able to see the brake lines and pipes. if these are caked in dirt they will fail you. if it looks like you made an effort to clean the car they might not be as harsh if there is a small bit of dirt still on them. go to a car wash that has a lance and use that.. i wash under my car every second or third time i wash it.. makes it so much easier for the next nct

Compudaro

Got a mechanic to do a (free!) pre-NCT check on my car today. He said there's a little "play on the track rod inners", particularly on one side and he's unsure if that would pass the test. Then he quoted me the price to have them replaced.
Should I just chance it and send it through the test?

Pkiernan

All else being equal, an engine with fresh oil will tend to give lower HC readings in the exhaust emissions test than one with older oil.

I always to an oil and air filter service befoe the NCT. I do it myself though, so the cost is minimal.