What was the most annoying thing that you failed your NCT on?

Run_to_da_hills

Brothers dog chewed both rear sear belts in his Fiat Stilo leaving teeth marks. Had to replace both of them.

homer90

The rubber on the brake pedal 'slightly worn' :rolleyes:

BigEejit

My wifes Micra failed for not have corcaigh written at the top of the license plate :mad:

n0brain3r

Tester damaged the tyre valve and then had the cheek to fail me on it as the tire couldn't maintain inflation :mad::mad: Still trying to get them to explain how I drove in on it!

Mr. Presentable

Mine failed DOE (commercial equivalent of NCT) for having darkening on the reflective surface of a number plate.

hobochris

homer90 wrote: »

The rubber on the brake pedal 'slightly worn' :rolleyes:

Samesies

Victor Meldrew

Indicator bulbs not "Orange" enough.....

And a bust brake light (my stupidity, hence annoying)

pdiddy

rubber wiper blades slightly worn

-Corkie-

Victor Meldrew wrote: »

Indicator bulbs not "Orange" enough.....

And a bust brake light (my stupidity, hence annoying)

Did you say `I dont believe it` when he gave you the fail cert...:)

loobylou

DOE- Seat cover worn!!

CiniO

Once one of the screws holding rear wheel broke down while unscrewing and also damaged a tread in the hub.
Most garages I visited told me I need to change a hub (cost over 100euros).
Finally I found mechanic, who managed to put a screw from the other side and attach a wheel with a nut. So pretty much my wheel is attached on 3 normal screws screwed to the hub, and one screw attached to the hub with a nut on it.

I did suspect, there will be problems on NCT with it.
But what the inspector told me, was over my any exceptations.

He failed it, but he said the whole construction is grant, the only problem was to nut fitted the wrong side (opposite). He said also that's only a visual retest so it will be for free.
First I did't really understand what he meant, but after I got it, I told him I can change the nut over in 30 secondes, and he can retest it straight away.
He said that he can't do it, because they are closed now (I was the last client that day), and that I can easily come tomorrow at anytime to do the visual retest.

Chippy01

Tester drove my car into the centre for testing. When he stopped he kept his foot on the brake for some reason. After about 10 seconds one of the brake lights went out.
He failed me on a busted brake light.

Tragedy

Failed on drivers door handle, if you pulled it slowly it wouldn't open, if you pulled it normally or fast it would.

TestTransmission

Never failed one

MetzgerMeister

TestTransmission wrote: »

Never failed one

+1

Barr

Seat belt under the seat.

dunsandin

Didnt remove the hubcaps- passed on evthing else- had to get a retest(visual)!!! Could he not have pulled em off???? Jobsworths....

nomdeboardie

Headlight adjustment - after spending hundreds at a garage (dealership) on a service, pre-NCT and new catalytic converter. Garage forgot to check the lights!</GentlySeethes>

Eoin

Failed for a blown high beam bulb - I had checked it the day before and all.

GeturGun

I failed my second last NCT cos the light on the rear number plate wasn't working,fair enough, replaced the bulb and got a visual recheck.

Fast forward 2 years and I noticed on the morning of the test that the exact same bulb was gone again. Swung by Halfords on the way to the test but they weren't open yet so had to put it in for the test with the bulb gone again .... It passed!!

robdsherlock

i know a fella who had his car failed on a bushing, so he went home and cleaned the bushing, then sprayed it black and it passed the retest lol
and they are suposed to be mechanics in the nct place???:rolleyes:

Berty

Failed on a "not orange enough" crap as well and not having Dublin in Irish on the reg plate.

Yet I have seen cars with bucked alloys and no headrests pass the NCT.

Run_to_da_hills

homer90 wrote: »

The rubber on the brake pedal 'slightly worn' :rolleyes:

Thats a quite a common one.

Stoolbend

I witnessed a car with three 17" alloys and one 15" steel rim pass while they tried fail me for the colour of my headlights. (HID's)

unkel

Baile Átha Cliath looked more like Baile Átha Oliath on one of my number plates

What do I win?

Mr. Presentable

unkel wrote: »

Baile Átha Cliath looked more like Baile Átha Oliath on one of my number plates

What do I win?

A pair of white screw covers?

Tordelback

Not having "An Lú" in micrscopic letters above the "LH" on my reg plate. FFS.

Bigcheeze

Tordelback wrote: »

Not having "An Lú" in micrscopic letters above the "LH" on my reg plate. FFS.

But why didn't you ? Everyone knows how plates are meant to be. They're not fecking works of art!

eringobragh

Bit of surface rust on the boot lid beside the lock, ****er stuck the key in it and made a nice hole.

and clutch pedal rubber as well.

Testament1

Did my NCT today and was told that the square licence plates on my car were the wrong size, not the writing or anything but the actual plate itself :mad:

johndaman66

Maybe not so much annoying as it was silly but was failed for a petrol leak which he said seemed to be coming from the top of the tank. Took car home and jacked it up bit not even a smear to be seen. Took it back a week later for retest and low and behold it passed!

Remember a lad telling me he failed for a worn steering rack. He said he got it taken of and cleaned down and resprayed and it passed retest. Whether you could believe the same chap though....He could spin you one too!

unkel

eringobragh wrote: »

Bit of surface rust on the boot lid beside the lock, ****er stuck the key in it and made a nice hole.

A bit more severe than a bit of surface rust if the key went straight through it, no?

Had NCT there a week ago, was a re test btw.

Before i went in for the original i went to get new cables for the handbrake as it wasn't pulling and seizing also. Got the new cables underneath and to each drum for 250 euro and the drums re adjusted.

Drove on for 2 weeks before the NCT and every time and it was grand, brought it back to the mechanic for a final look and adjustment before the NCT.

Went in and failed it because the driver side drum was warm, not roasting hot now. Said it was seizing, also i got the brake caliber on the passenger side changed over a year ago, and when i took it off some brake fluid got on the pipe. They also failed me because they said it was leaking. When it hardly was because the brake fluid never went down.

Had to go back in with 28 euro cause they had to put it on the ramp.

Tester just tested the strength of the brakes and passed me, didn't even check the pipe.

All about how much money they can milk out of you.

delly

nomdeboardie wrote: »

Headlight adjustment - after spending hundreds at a garage (dealership) on a service, pre-NCT and new catalytic converter. Garage forgot to check the lights!</GentlySeethes>

Pre NCT's = biggest waste of money, ever! (imho)

Testament1

delly wrote: »

Pre NCT's = biggest waste of money, ever! (imho)

Fact! Just send it into the test and see what they come up with.

loobylou

johndaman66 wrote: »

Remember a lad telling me he failed for a worn steering rack. He said he got it taken of and cleaned down and resprayed and it passed retest. Whether you could believe the same chap though....He could spin you one too!

I'd well believe him. Had a 99 Avensis which failed for same reason at it's first NCT (so I guess about 2003).
Mechanic greased it up and it passed every NCT since until I sold it last Sept.

Blazer

Victor Meldrew wrote: »

Indicator bulbs not "Orange" enough.....

lol..I had the same fail

Thoie

eoin wrote: »

Failed for a blown high beam bulb - I had checked it the day before and all.

Even more irritating, I'd checked mine before I left the house. Drove 10 minutes to the test centre, waited 5 minutes, and somewhere in those 15 minutes the headlight had gone. I had spares in the boot and changed it on the spot, but since it required a lane retest I had to come back a week later.

101sean

Last two times I've had trouble with my Defender 110 with the suspension test, first time they over inflated a tyre to get it to pass, last time they did it 3 times to get it through :eek:

My suspension is fine, new bushes, shocks replaced as needed etc, just don't think rig can cope with a heavy vehicle with lifted suspension :rolleyes: The centre manager was an ex Land Rover man but that's probably changed now with the new contract.

Tordelback

Bigcheeze wrote: »

But why didn't you ? Everyone knows how plates are meant to be. They're not fecking works of art!

Car registered in 1998, never had cause to change them.

VinnyTGM

The requirements for the reg plates are clearly outlined, fairly stupid to fail on them.

http://www.ncts.ie/pdf/nctmanual.pdf

Slidey

pdiddy wrote: »

rubber wiper blades slightly worn

When you say slightly worn were they starting to peel at the ends?

loobylou wrote: »

DOE- Seat cover worn!!

Thats petty, it's something I would very rarely fail someone on

barry81 wrote: »

I witnessed a car with three 17" alloys and one 15" steel rim pass while they tried fail me for the colour of my headlights. (HID's)

There is no reason to fail that car, once the load indexs on the tyres is right it should pass. If your lights weren't focused or displaying a right beam they would be blinding people going down the road

Mak_United wrote: »

Had NCT there a week ago, was a re test
Went in and failed it because the driver side drum was warm, not roasting hot now. Said it was seizing,

Well if it was seizing it would show up on the brake test or may be tight to turn when jacked up.

101sean wrote: »

Last two times I've had trouble with my Defender 110 with the suspension test, first time they over inflated a tyre to get it to pass, last time they did it 3 times to get it through :eek:

My suspension is fine, new bushes, shocks replaced as needed etc, just don't think rig can cope with a heavy vehicle with lifted suspension :rolleyes: The centre manager was an ex Land Rover man but that's probably changed now with the new contract.

The big cleats on the tyres can cause 4x4s to sit slightly off on the suspension plates or for them to shift during the test. I keep the brake pressed while the shock test is being done to stop this happening.

Shock imbalance is not a fail in the DoE anyway

BTW, I am not an NCT tester, just pointing out some things

KingIsabella

I PASSED with a broken handbrake cable on one side.

NCT is all down to luck on the day i reckon.

furiousox

My 02 Audi A4 failed on emissions in Drogheda NCT despite having passed an emissions test while being serviced the previous week.
When I queried the result and showed them the passed emissions result they maintained their machine was calibrated every day and I had no choice but to do the re-test.
I did the re-test in Ballymun NCT without changing anything on the car and it passed with identical readings to the original test! :mad:

Slidey

KingIsabella wrote: »

I PASSED with a broken handbrake cable on one side.

NCT is all down to luck on the day i reckon.

Bullshit

KingIsabella

i genuinely promise you it's not. on a hill if i pull the handbrake up as far as it goes, one side will completely slump. its been like that since a few months after we bought it in 2008, and it still does it today.

2yung2adm

robdsherlock wrote: »

i know a fella who had his car failed on a bushing, so he went home and cleaned the bushing, then sprayed it black and it passed the retest lol
and they are suposed to be mechanics in the nct place???:rolleyes:

In fact you do not have to be a mechanic to work in these centres

2yung2adm

I was being failed on one occasion because the tester said the bonnet secondary safety catch was not returning quickly enough.
I asked for the head guy and showed him that the safety catch was applied by the bonnet being shut to the final catch-in otherwords the bonnet could not be closed without the safety catch being applied.. I got my cert.

Cosmo K

2yung2adm wrote: »

In fact you do not have to be a mechanic to work in these centres

Wow, thats interesting! What qualifications do you need to get a job there?

Slidey

KingIsabella wrote: »

i genuinely promise you it's not. on a hill if i pull the handbrake up as far as it goes, one side will completely slump. its been like that since a few months after we bought it in 2008, and it still does it today.

One side completely ''slumping'' does not mean that you have no handbrake on one side. You are allowed a 50% imbalance on the handbrake.

2yung2adm wrote: »

In fact you do not have to be a mechanic to work in these centres

Well I applied for a job there once and was asked for proof of being a trade qualified mechanic...

2yung2adm

Slidey wrote: »

One side completely ''slumping'' does not mean that you have no handbrake on one side. You are allowed a 50% imbalance on the handbrake.



Well I applied for a job there once and was asked for proof of being a trade qualified mechanic...

Didn't take the job, would rather work in Dunnes. (no offence to anyone who works in Dunnes, I do so myself at one time)

You should not have been asked that. You do not have to be a mechanic.