Does spare tire(on jeep) need to be covered for NCT test?

Ammsy500

I have my Nct test tomorrow and I cant seem to find the answer to this anywhere so thought Id try here. I was told by a mechanic to take the cover off my spare wheel thats on the back of my jeep for the nct test and leave it at home. But now Im worrying that if I leave it off they might fail me because it looks like I have no cover which means the spare wheel could go rusty or could be damaged Maybe Im over thinking this but dont want to fail on this.

If anyone knows the answer it be a big help thanks :pac:

H3llR4iser

I might be shooting in the dark here but...why leave it at home? I can't see the issue with the tyre cover for the life of me; If they need to inspect the tire, they'd just remove it themselves...

L1011

http://www.ncts.ie/pdf/NCT%20Manual%20Revise%20May%202012.pdf

Its not in the manual - all they care about is that the carrier is physically secure.

A lot of van adapted MPVs have the spare wheel underslung and barely protected if at all from road dirt / salt / etc, its not an issue for the NCT.

coylemj

Ammsy500 wrote: »

I was told by a mechanic to take the cover off my spare wheel thats on the back of my jeep for the nct test and leave it at home. But now Im worrying that if I leave it off they might fail me because it looks like I have no cover which means the spare wheel could go rusty or could be damaged Maybe Im over thinking this but dont want to fail on this.

He may be right but not for the reason that you've given. For an externally mounted spare, the testing method is as follows...

1. Examine the spare wheel carrier, if fitted, for security of attachment to vehicle.
2. Examine the mounting points and the structure of the carrier to see that they are free from fractures.
3. If there is a spare wheel in the carrier, check that this is securely held in the carrier.

So having a cover on the spare might result in a refusal in the same way that leaving the hubcaps on the wheels is a failure because they can't inspect the nuts. It probably all depends on how much of the spare mounting they can and cannot see with the cover on but why take the risk? You certainly won't be failed for leaving the cover off.

I'd be inclined to agree with your mechanic, take the cover off for the test. Note that you cannot be failed on the condition of the spare so don't worry about tread depth or the overall condition of that tyre.

BTW, your logic is seriously off the wall - how could the spare 'go rusty or be damaged' when it's sitting on the back door? What about the wheels mounted on your axles?

Marcusm

coylemj wrote: »

BTW, your logic is seriously off the wall - how could the spare 'go rusty or be damaged' when it's sitting on the back door? What about the wheels mounted on your axles?

Rear mounted spare wheels should generally be covered as they are more exposed to the sun than the rest of the tyres and are vulnerable to perishing rubber asa result.

Ammsy500

Thanks for the replies, think I'm going to leave it off as the mechanic said and if it fails on that I'll go blame him : p

coylemj

Marcusm wrote: »

Rear mounted spare wheels should generally be covered as they are more exposed to the sun than the rest of the tyres and are vulnerable to perishing rubber asa result.

Does that only apply to rear-mounted spares? What about this one?

Jellicoe

Marcusm wrote: »

Rear mounted spare wheels should generally be covered as they are more exposed to the sun than the rest of the tyres and are vulnerable to perishing rubber asa result.

for the duration of an NCT test ?

Tony D

I had the cover on the Spare wheel on my Crv when it went through the test, no problems. I have put a few crvs through and cover was always on

Marcusm

coylemj wrote: »

Does that only apply to rear-mounted spares? What about this one?

You are absolutely correct that the same issue would arise; perhaps more so as it's beng heated by the engine, perhaps less of an issue in humid climates!

Jellicoe wrote: »

for the duration of an NCT test ?

I was giving context, not stating a requirement for an NCT!

Jellicoe

Marcusm wrote: »

I was giving context, not stating a requirement for an NCT!

The context is for the duration of the NCT !

Marcusm

Jellicoe wrote: »

The context is for the duration of the NCT !

If you'll look back to my post you'll see the context to which I referred which was whether the spare could be subject to more damage or exposure than the other tyres; I didn't refer to NCT at all. My post took place on a tangential plane to the original question, the relevance intersecting only minutely!

corktina

say what?