NCT disaster

JustAddWater

Without going in to too much detail, but enough to know the story,

I failed my NCT retest today over a problem with the brakes. The test failed me on my brakes and I went to a garage

So, the brake shoes, springs, cylinders everything etc were replaced as well as the handbrake cable

Now at another retest it failed again. I went back to the garage and they adjusted it after reading the NCT reports, and went back to the NCT, still failed.

So, it seems the shoes which were only replaced last week, need to settle in as it were and they should be OK after a few more weeks of driving.

The NCT can now not be retested and a full retest must be done, another €50 odd down the drain. The garage did pay for the retesting but no mention of the actual full retest now which after numerous tests is adding up.

Just curious really, a little annoyed and confused and probably venting a little because whatever was in the NCT report from the first failure was absolutely done by the garage. They brought me in to see the new shoes and cables and saw the adjustments being made. They're as confused as I am

Some of the NCT reports in relation to the brakes, also completely and wildly vary in a very short space of time (an hour!) and on my failure, the handbrake efficiency was so bad that I would think it was impossible to see practically 0 efficiency on a handbrake with the amount of work that went into it. So I wonder, am I only realizing now how much of a sham the NCT are? Can they not or do they not make allowances on retesting parameters for new parts? Surely if you fail an NCT the first thing you're gonna do is get the work done. Most cars being retested would have had some mechanical repair recently I would presume (bar visual light bulb check, etc)

Has anyone any experience with brakes, do they really need a few hundred miles to pass an NCT? How come the NCT can not explain to me how new brake system and cable adjustment is not enough to satisfy their requirements? And has anyone ever had multiple retests in quick succession? My foot brake efficiency (not even touched, as it was passed) seemed to jump wildly (improved might I add) from test to test even though the focus of the work was on the handbrake and not the footbrake

Very odd situation and Im not even sure how I should approach it. The garage are decent, and happy to make this right but should I pay for most of the NCT fees? They're a lot. Should I complain to the garage? they handled it quite well. Should I complain to the NCT? Is there any point to either?

Confused and certless....

NOTE:

8am (imbalance)
Front Axle 13%
Rear Axle 17%

10am (imbalance)
Front Axle 3%
Rear Axle 5%

Thats a massive improvement in the imbalance, even more special since nothing was done to the front axle. I also had a parking brake effort < 10% first time failing and after the work, it was EXACTLY the same. Except the massive difference was, the handbrake was effectively fooked the first time round (and I knew that), but the 2nd test, it was definitely working and holding the car in place, yet somehow still magically 8%

Kenny Logins

What was on the fail sheets?

corktina

I had a problem getting my camper through the DOE due to handbrake imbalance despite renewing everything like you. The tester told me to swap over the two drums as one may be more glazed than the other, and thus the imbalance might be reduced the other way round (or increased I guess!). May be worth a try?

CiniO

OP show us your NCT fail reports from your original test and retests.
Then we will be able to tell you more.

dougie-lampkin

JustAddWater wrote: »

So, the brake shoes, springs, cylinders everything etc were replaced as well as the handbrake cable

...

My foot brake efficiency (not even touched, as it was passed) seemed to jump wildly (improved might I add) from test to test even though the focus of the work was on the handbrake and not the footbrake

If the foot brake was working fine, then why were rear cylinders and shoes replaced? It's obvious these are in perfect working order if they work fine on the service brake. Maybe I've read your post wrong, and the foot brake originally failed. Otherwise I'd bring it to a different garage that isn't going to throw semi-related parts at it, at your expense, until it's fixed.

I've had a similar experience with NCT inconsistency. One car I had failed on handbrake imbalance, and needed two retests. Each time I went to the same centre, I was put on a different lane. And each lane showed a different imbalance and ovality on the front, and a different unladen weight. As in, the imbalance swapped sides on the untouched front axle in the 15 miles between each test. The NCT manual says lanes are calibrated daily :rolleyes:

Engine No.9

I recently had pretty much the same problem. Handbrake failed for a 6% effort. Replaced the cable and came in at 22% on retest. Limit was for not below 16% so passed. What confuses me about your post is thay the imbalances youve failed for make no sense. My imbalance was 48% on initial and 49% on retest and this was a pass as the limit is 50%. May be specific to my car that those limits apply so not sure of your specific criteria.

My mechanic (uncle) did say that replacing the cable was the cheapest option and if it still failed it may be that the caliper would have to be replaced. I was watching him do the work and he showed me a potential failing point on the caliper as to how the imbalance was so high but it passed so no need to get it looked at for another 12 months until next test is due.

Calipers are an expensive part to replace but it might be worth mentioning it to your mechanic and see what he says.

Bigus

To be sure of a fix, brake drums should have been replaced too,and don't need bedding in either like used ones.

supervento

Bigus wrote: »

To be sure of a fix, brake drums should have been replaced too,and don't need bedding in either like used ones.

true, or get the repairs done in a garage that have a rolling road to check the work done.....

JustAddWater

Thanks all. I'll post some certs tomorrow ... Need to not think about it for a little bit! Pain in the face