2 Year NCT for all classics.

homingbird

Every car that turns 30 ( classic ) should get a two year test as it is not likely to be doing high mileage a year . So if a petition is started would it be any good . Because i can see the nct turning into a money racket 50 euros turning into 100 euros on top of your road tax. I have nothing against the nct because i know my car will pass it so why a test every year when my car only comes out for the summer.

corktina

my car is over 30 and is exempt

macplaxton

Your point please OP?

Is it because you have a post-1980 car? All pre-1980 cars are exempt.

(Annual testing? Don't mind, but I might as well bugger off back home then )

homingbird

Yes post 1980 cars have to do the test every year when they turn 30. They will get around to making every car do the test every year anyway.
so why not a 2 year test for every car that turns 30.

wildefalcon

Simple answer:

Classic car owners do not trust the government NOT to use it as an excuse to

1) drive them off the road,

2) fake fail the cars and turn it into a money making racket - "sir, your 1932 Ford car has failed because the ABS is not working"

I would support a basic test for all pre 1980 cars - Tyres not cracked or perished, axle and suspension in reasonable mechanical order, all lights working, brakes working and engine not ploughing out smoke.

But they'd feck it up by failing people on stupid crap - the bulbs aren't "E" marked, or some such rubbish.

macplaxton

homingbird wrote: »

so why not a 2 year test for every car that turns 30.

Cos Corky and I (for starters) wouldn't be too happy.

carchaeologist

macplaxton wrote: »

Cos Corky and I (for starters) wouldn't be too happy.

Yes, and many others. You should get yer facts and info right before u post rubbish here OP.

galwaytt

homingbird wrote: »

Every car that turns 30 ( classic ) should get a two year test as it is not likely to be doing high mileage a year . So if a petition is started would it be any good . Because i can see the nct turning into a money racket 50 euros turning into 100 euros on top of your road tax. I have nothing against the nct because i know my car will pass it so why a test every year when my car only comes out for the summer.

So, you have a car that is currently exempt, and you're volunteering it for NCT . . .???
We, why.....:-/

homingbird

YES a beetle plus a bmw on the way to classic. I think that making classic car owners do the test every year is a waste of time & money . If you pass now you know you will pass in 12 months because of lack of use.

hi5

Lack of use is not good for a car,seized brake calipers/cylinders...flat spots on tyres....perished hoses.....mice eaten wiring looms....hardened gaskets etc etc.
Your car getting the once over for €50 isn't bad value and it could save yours and somebody elses life.

homingbird

The beetle is brought out for use on good days all year round to keep it running it is too good for everyday use.As regards the nct i agree that every car should be checked to stop rust buckets on the road. All i am asking for is a 2 year nct on cars that say maybe go over 20 years as i cant see any buying a 20 year old car to put up big mileage a year.

mustang68

As far as I remember the original "a car most be in a roadworthy condition" exists for the gardai to enforce. As regards an NCT for classics/veterans, one can pay to have one if desired, just pop into the test centre.

I'd love if they did introduce a two year NCT, could you imaging the chaos with a few pre 1930 cars in the centre: "Which lever is the advance? Where is the oil flow measure? Do you start it by cranking left or right? Where do you light the lamps?"

txpjl

I'm new to all this stuff and only know the basics:

Are these correct:
A car that turns 30 years old only pays 50 tax? so a 1984 car will eventually reduce to €50 when it hits 30 years old?

A car pre 1979 is NCT/DOE exempt? What happens a 1984 car, does it ever go exempt?

Thanks

galwaytt

homingbird wrote: »

The beetle is brought out for use on good days all year round to keep it running it is too good for everyday use.As regards the nct i agree that every car should be checked to stop rust buckets on the road. All i am asking for is a 2 year nct on cars that say maybe go over 20 years as i cant see any buying a 20 year old car to put up big mileage a year.

..I'm still not getting it......

I have a 1990, 1993 and 1994 car. The 1990 is off the road, but will require an annual NCT when I get it sorted. The 1993 has one of the last 2-year NCT's and is good 'til.......2012/2013 (iirc), but will require an annual one when that goes up. The 1994 is perfect, but unused, and will require an annual one if/when it goes on the road. All, you understand, according to the existing regime.

Having the test on a 12 month, instead of 24 month basis will not improve my car(s) - I use and maintain them the exact same, irrespective. And I'll put it to you that the trend will be for people to run older cars for a few years yet - the good 'ol economy being what it is and all, we will go away from the Celtic Tiger model of changing it every x years, and go more toward the average ages of our contintental neighbours.

I think the annual NCT is too much. The EU Directive that was transposed to Irish Law only laid down that it should be no more than 2 years between tests. Some Noddy in DoE saw a cash cow for all those just-over-10-yr old cars that people are holding onto as cheap 2nd cars, and stuck it to them (me incl) for an annual test. The fact that the NCT contract was up for renewal at the same time, and it needed a sweetener to get someone to bid against SGS for it, is, they would tell you, an amazing coincidence. :rolleyes:

Frankly, I see no merit in putting any extra cost on motoring as it is.

JoeySully

but is it still not a bargain at €50 ??

Brake test - there are very few garages that I have found that even have the equipment to do this test, and if they did would it not at least be €50

Emissions test - this give you a great indication as to the condition of your engine and fuel management system and not just about being green.

Suspension test - again not too many garages have this equipment and the only test they will do is a visual and bounce your car up and down. The NCT test gives your a exact figure of your suspension balance and performance.

Edit :
I meant to add that i guy I know put his car in for a very late NCT and passed - 3 weeks later he did another test and it failed miserably. A lot can change in a year not to mind 2 years .

I would however strongly petition for the test to be valid a year from the test date instead of the registration date!
Light focus - How many times have you been blinded by someone with poorly focused lights or using their main beams because their dips don't work at all? again this cost ~€30 in any garage.. It also reduces the number of cars with no rear lights and faulty indicators which are a huge safety issue.

Under body check - this is difficult to do at home and I think the NCT will give a much better grilling.

yes there are some silly NCT rules too like county in Irish and the correct font but as a whole it is excellent value in my opinion.

Just wait until they bring it in for trailers too

homingbird

It is only a matter of time before the 50 euro nct starts going up in price.Maybe then you will start to complain. Its the gaurds job to fine any unroadworthy car on the road between nct tests. That is why they are on the road every day. So no excuse for a 2 year test for old cars.

Dades

My 1983 has it's NCT this Sunday. :eek:

It's just come off it's last two-year NCT, and although it would be great to get another two years, but frankly I'm all for classic owners to shut up and stay away from petitions and whatnot.

If some busybodies send in a proposal to get more advantages for classics, some accountant in the DOF is going to remember that they're losing money by not date-fixing the tax and VRT advantages - and boom - the classic industry is dead.

Sam Russell

My main critism of the NCT is that cars are not tested for the first 4 years of their life when they do typically 50% of their total miles of the cars life. A reps car can do 20,000 miles to 50,000 miles a year. In four years, how many sets of tyres, brakes has it gone through. How many potholes and kerbs has the car hit, knocking lumps out of the tyres and 'adjusting' the suspension?

The annual test for cars over 10 years should be a simple 'safety' test to check that the car is roadorthy. It should be a requirement that any car offered for sale should be subject to that level of test before ownership transfers. Also, the NCT be be available on demand, not a two or three month wait.

Also, the test should be for a minimum of 1 year from the date of test, to a maximum of two years and 3 months.

It must be good value to be able to test a car for €50. There are areas of the test that ought to be more thorough, such as wheel alignment, but I think the emissions test is at a level that fails many cars for no good reason, and mechanics are not able to fix the problems. This has the effect that many cars are scrapped over this.

The main purpose of the test (imho) is to move older cars off the road and into the scrap yard so more new cars (and more VRT) are put onto the road.

Fishtits

Anything on the roads in the UK must have an MOT. Its actually a rule with most classic clubs that entrants have a valid MOT - including visitors

It will no doubt arrive here eventually.

macplaxton

Fishtits wrote: »

Anything on the roads in the UK must have an MOT.

Not quite anything, there are odd exceptions, but generally they do. Cars over 3 years old for starters.

The big difference is that a) appointed garages do them, b) you have about 19,000 to chose from, not a state sanctioned monopoly. c) they've been doing tests since 1960, so it's well bedded in and it's not too hard to find a tester that either worked on the cars new or at least understands them.

macplaxton

Sam Russell wrote: »

but I think the emissions test is at a level that fails many cars for no good reason

I don't think it is, the standards are about the same as the UK (where they emissions test most stuff that's post 1975 - not post 1980)

I've done dozens of MOT emissions tests with older vehicles and had them pass well within permitted limits. Most of it is down to proper maintenance and adjustment.

gyppo

Sam Russell wrote: »

My main critism of the NCT is that cars are not tested for the first 4 years of their life when they do typically 50% of their total miles of the cars life. A reps car can do 20,000 miles to 50,000 miles a year. In four years, how many sets of tyres, brakes has it gone through. How many potholes and kerbs has the car hit, knocking lumps out of the tyres and 'adjusting' the suspension?

The annual test for cars over 10 years should be a simple 'safety' test to check that the car is roadorthy. It should be a requirement that any car offered for sale should be subject to that level of test before ownership transfers. Also, the NCT be be available on demand, not a two or three month wait.

Also, the test should be for a minimum of 1 year from the date of test, to a maximum of two years and 3 months.

It must be good value to be able to test a car for €50. There are areas of the test that ought to be more thorough, such as wheel alignment, but I think the emissions test is at a level that fails many cars for no good reason, and mechanics are not able to fix the problems. This has the effect that many cars are scrapped over this.

The main purpose of the test (imho) is to move older cars off the road and into the scrap yard so more new cars (and more VRT) are put onto the road.

I agree with you regarding new cars. As you said, its quite possible to rack up a high mileage on a new car in a short space of time.
I remember parking beside a fairly new Mazda6 in Athlone about two years ago. The cars two front tyres were completely bald. In the back a child seat was fitted. Here was very definately a car that should not have been on the road, and yet would have two more years to go before being tested.

I also think the practice of giving a short NCT is a racket. If I bring a car for its NCT and it passes, it should be a valid result for a fixed period. If its late for its test, why not make some form of arrears payment instead?

okistag

txpjl wrote: »

I'm new to all this stuff and only know the basics:

Are these correct:
A car that turns 30 years old only pays 50 tax? so a 1984 car will eventually reduce to €50 when it hits 30 years old?

A car pre 1979 is NCT/DOE exempt? What happens a 1984 car, does it ever go exempt?

Thanks

Yes you are correct when a vehicle turns 30 the road tax is reduced to 50 euro.

Correct again, Pre 1979 are exempt from NCT / DOE

Any vehicle registered from 1 Jan 1980 onwards is NOT exempt and has to have NCT / DOE, it is based on date of registration and not age!!

J

Hermy

Sam Russell wrote: »

My main critism of the NCT is that cars are not tested for the first 4 years of their life...

Just as an aside, when I bought my brand new taxi in 2005 I had to get it NCT'd before I could start using it.

BronsonTB

It's not done for the benefit of the classic owner, it's done for the state, revenue & europe. Charging for a 2 year test when they can get it yearly woudn't make sense to the powers that be.

They have no interest in keeping the classic scene alive. If they had there way all 10 year cars would be crushed & owners forced to replace them.

I suggest classic owners keep quiet cause if the general public kick up a stink over the pre 80 nct exemption, I can see that disappearing very very quickly.

I had a 86 capri but had to sell it as I couldn't afford to keep it with all the expense that goes with owning it. (Full tax & NCT being a major contributor)

galwaytt

BronsonTB wrote: »

It's not done for the benefit of the classic owner, it's done for the state, revenue & europe. Charging for a 2 year test when they can get it yearly woudn't make sense to the powers that be.

They have no interest in keeping the classic scene alive. If they had there way all 10 year cars would be crushed & owners forced to replace them.

I suggest classic owners keep quiet cause if the general public kick up a stink over the pre 80 nct exemption, I can see that disappearing very very quickly.

I had a 86 capri but had to sell it as I couldn't afford to keep it with all the expense that goes with owning it. (Full tax & NCT being a major contributor)

Indeed. On a related note, I've advertised my car in the UK, from next month, as the market over there is more, well, common-sense. I was offered a nice modern swap for my classic, and the only thing stopping me taking it was the fact that I'd have been whupped for €2600 VRT, to import the swap.......

_Conrad_

It looks to me like this whole "two year nct" issue was lifted directly (as a concept) from some UK site, as there has been a bit of a hoo haa on some of those recently about a 2 year MOT.
Wouldn't be the first time someone has come on here or another Irish site trying to make an issue out of nothing and using something they read, or possibly misread on a UK site

macplaxton

The re-curring UK grumble is gold-plating of EU regs, but whilst loads of them over the water like to grumble*, they've had testing there for over 50 years, so can't really blame Europe on this one.:D

*about motorists getting shafted, etc. when in the grand scheme of things, they have it very good.

Sam Russell

macplaxton wrote: »

The re-curring UK grumble is gold-plating of EU regs, but whilst loads of them over the water like to grumble*, they've had testing there for over 50 years, so can't really blame Europe on this one.:D

*about motorists getting shafted, etc. when in the grand scheme of things, they have it very good.

The UK system of using garages to test is subject to false/dodge test certs. In NI, the tests are conducted by a state agency simillar to our system. They have tightened up the system in GB by computerrising the test so reducing the ability to 'adjust' the test in favour of a pass.

I read that (in the Sunday Times - so beleive it or not) that they are looking at removing the requirement for an MOT for old classic cars. By this they are taking a date for this as either pre-1960 or pre-1948 or pre 1930. They make the point that the mileage of going for the test is as much as some cars do all year.

homingbird

The thing is the nct should not be a money racket it should be for safety of other road users so what about the classic car collector who has a shed load of classics that is made bring out every year to test 50 euro turning into 100 per car. This is not me i wish i had the space & money to do so.

macplaxton

Sam Russell wrote: »

The UK system of using garages to test is subject to false/dodge test certs.

And the NCT isn't? Whenever there is a human involved in the process there's the opportunity of fraud. All you can do with any system is have some checks and balances. You could also level that accusation at commercial vehicle testing here.

The computerisation makes it easier to spot very obvious fraud. The was a test centred that VOSA busted as his pass rate was ludicrously high.

Sam Russell wrote: »

I read that (in the Sunday Times - so beleive it or not) that they are looking at removing the requirement for an MOT for old classic cars. By this they are taking a date for this as either pre-1960 or pre-1948 or pre 1930. They make the point that the mileage of going for the test is as much as some cars do all year.

The UK Department for Transport (DfT) have a consultation open at the moment on MOT testing historic vehicles. http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2011-27.

1) The DfT favours a 1960 cut-off date in line with exceptions to testing permitted by the EU directive. The options proposed were pre-1945 and pre-1920.
2) Two-thirds of pre-1960 manufactured vehicles are driven less than 500 miles a year. (and a tiny minority of the total vehicle pool)
3) Pre-1960 manufactured vehicles are largely well maintained by their owners. The initial MoT test failure rate for these vehicles in 2009 was less than 10%, whilst the initial MoT test failure rate for post-1960 manufactured vehicles was over 30%.
4) Pre-1960 HGVs are already exempt.

macplaxton

homingbird wrote: »

The thing is the nct should not be a money racket

It's still 50 EUR which is cheaper than the 54.85 GBP (max) of the annual UK MOT.

homingbird wrote: »

it should be for safety of other road users

Well safety of everybody, but vehicle testing has expanded past that some time ago to include emissions.

homingbird wrote: »

so what about the classic car collector who has a shed load of classics that is made bring out every year to test 50 euro turning into 100 per car. This is not me i wish i had the space & money to do so.

Nobody is making anyone bring their shed load of classics out to be tested every year. Pre-1980 is exempt, and it's STILL only 50 EUR to test. If you have a shed load of testable cars, they don't have to be tested or taxed if they aren't on the road. Even if you had ten testable cars costing 500 EUR to test, one would find that amount loose change compared to the Motor Tax on that lot.