Things to check for your NCT

El Guapo!

Ok so there's been a few threads lately with people asking questions about the NCT so I thought it might be a good idea to have a thread with the main checks you can do before your test.
I suppose I'm aiming this thread at people who may not be all that knowledgeable about cars so I'll just assume you have no access to a ramp and therefore this is only a general check and not a full inspection of the underside of the car.

Here goes:

Lights: Firstly you wanna take a walk around the car and check all the lamps and make sure they don't have any cracks or damage to them. Also make sure they contain no moisture. And be sure they are held on securely. Then you need to make sure all the bulbs are working. Check EVERY bulb including registration plate bulbs and fog lights (if equipped).
If any bulbs seem dim or slightly dimmer than the opposite side......replace it. A dim bulb is a sign its on its way out so just change it, the last thing you want is for it to blow as you pull in the gate of the test centre.
If your car has orange indicator bulbs make sure they are just that...ORANGE! The orange dye on the bulbs tends to flake off over time and white light shows through. This is a common fail item so if in doubt...replace it.
Another common fail with the lights is headlight alignment. Most garages will focus the lights for you for about €30. If you don't want to pay to get the lights aligned then as a rough guide you can park the car facing a wall about a foot away and turn on the lights. (the headlight adjustment wheel in your car should be set to 0) The beam should be a clear defined line and they should be level and not too high or too low. If the beam is just a big blur then the bulb is probably in upside down.

Wipers: Make sure the wipers front and rear (if equipped) are intact without any rips or tears in the rubber. Also make sure the wipers clear the screen fully. Check that the washer jets are not blocked and are spraying at the window and not over the car. Make sure the washer fluid is full.

Exterior damage: Damage to the body is generally only a fail if there are sharp edges that you may cut your hand on.

Wheels and tyres: Check that all wheels have all of the studs/nuts and remove any hubcaps/centre caps so the nuts are visible. Make sure all tyre pressures are correct (including the spare). Check the thread depth of each tyre. The legal limit is 1.6mm and you can pick up a thread deth gauge for a couple of need one. Make sure all tyres have the "E" mark stamped on them.

Windscreen: Simple enough, make sure its not damaged in any way.

Under the bonnet: Firstly make sure the bonnet opens and closes correctly. Check all fluid levels and top up if necessary. Make sure the battery and battery terminals are secure. Clean off any excessive fluid leaks from around the engine bay.

Mirrors: Check that all mirrors are working, clear and undamaged.

Handbrake: Lift the handbrake and make sure it can hold the car in position. If it doesnt, or it the lever points to the sky, it needs to be adjusted. Depending on the model of the car, the method of adjustment varies. You can generally adjust the cable tension by tightening a nut on a threaded bar beneath the handbrake gaiter.

Pedal rubbers: This is a common fail item and also something that is regularly overlooked. Make sure all pedal rubbers are intact with no metal showing through.

Dashboard: Make sure no warning lights stay lit while the engine is running. Additionally make sure all of the warning lights are working. Turn the ignition to position 2 and all the lights shoud illuminate for a few seconds. Check that all buttons, switches, hazards, demisters, heaters etc are working correctly.

Seatbelts: Check the operation of seatbelts front and rear (including the middle rear). Ensure that they come out fully, retract fully, and clip into the receivers correctly. Make sure the belts lock when you give them a sharp tug. Also check the belts to see if any of them are damaged or frayed. Check that all the belts and receivers are visible and not trapped behind or under seats.

Horn: Straight forward-make sure it works. (don't play with it for too long you'll go blind:D)

Seats, doors & windows: Make sure the windows go up and down correctly and with ease. Check that the doors open and close properly. Make sure all seats move correctly and lock into the correct positions.

Test drive: While driving the car, listen out for any creaks, rattles, bumps and strange noises that may need further attention. Make sure the car drives in a straight line when you release the wheel (be sensible and dont just let go at 100mph!) If the car pulls to one side it may need wheel alignment. Make sure the speedometer and rev counter work correctly.

Before the test: Have the car relatively clean for the test and remove any junk from the boot. Having your car serviced for the test is not 100% necessary but a fresh oil and filter will help the emissions. It might be good practice to have your annual service around the time of your NCT, -2 birds 1 stone and all that. It may do no harm to throw in a fuel injector cleaner/ fuel treatment in to help with the emissions side of things.
On the day of the test have the car nice and warm and give it a good hard drive up test centre.


I know theres stuff I'm leaving out but I'm tired and typed all this up an hour ago and deleted it by mistake!:mad: So if I've left stuff out feel free to add to it.
Best of luck with the test.

El Guapo!

Just dawned on me now I forgot to add in about the new regulations regarding window tints and exhaust noise.
Excessive exhaust noise and very dark window tints are also a fail and these can be checked at some garages that have the new equipment to measure it. Unfortunately you cant test these without the equipment, the best you can do is make an educated guess and any mechanic should be roughly able to tell whether it would be within the limits.

blastman

I failed the NCT because my headlights and sidelights weren't the same colour :rolleyes: I have LED bulbs in the sidelights that are a whiter light than the more yellow halogen headlight bulbs. Yet I see cars driving around with lights that are factory-fitted like that (allbeit yellow standard sidelights & whiter HID headlights) all the time, most modern Mercs for example.

jarvis_c82

I failed on headlamp recently however the guy told me there is a crack in the rear light and to put clear tape over it. Will it pass this time?

El Guapo!

jarvis_c82 wrote: »

I failed on headlamp recently however the guy told me there is a crack in the rear light and to put clear tape over it. Will it pass this time?

It depends on how bad it is. If its only a hairline crack and isnt letting in any moisture or letting out white light then you could be ok. If its any worse than that its a fail.

af_thefragile

I have a bit of moisture in one of my rear lamps and it just won't go away unless its a hot day, even then there will be a little moisture left in the lamp...

Although that's the least of the problems of my car but it'ld be awful if my car fails the NCT because of that...

af_thefragile

af_thefragile wrote: »

I have a bit of moisture in one of my rear lamps and it just won't go away unless its a hot day, even then there will be a little moisture left in the lamp...

Although that's the least of the problems of my car but it'ld be awful if my car fails the NCT because of that...

Stick a rag in through the bulb holes and soak up as much of it as you can or drill holes in the bottom of the light cluster, no more moisture then

af_thefragile

RoverJames wrote: »

Stick a rag in through the bulb holes and soak up as much of it as you can or drill holes in the bottom of the light cluster, no more moisture then

I did do the drilling the hole trick. It worked during hot summer days (which we don't have much of here) but during the cooler wet days, it gets filled with moisture again.

And I can't get anything in there as there are no bulb holes. Its all sealed and stuff... Although I don't know if I can be able to pull out the bits covering the bulbs to be able to access the outer cover from the inside... if you know what I mean... Its kinda hard to describe...

Mongarra

It's over 3 years since this most useful thread. Better Half is having her NCT shortly and I am wondering if there are any new items to be added to the OP's list.

bazz26

Make sure the person who is bringing the car to the test centre has photo id in the shape of either their driver's license or passport as they may ask for this.

Also make sure you bring the car's log book or vehicle registration cert, they sometimes ask for this but not always.

Both of the above are not failures but they will not issue the new NCT cert until you produce them so best have them with you.