Bought car no NCT. Penalty points

k mac

As the title says bought a car yesterday with the NCT. Now i know with xmas coming the earliest possible NCT test date i will get will be early january. Does this mean i cannot drive the car all over xmas the only time i really need it as i have a company vehicle for use when i am working. This seems ridiculous to me, if it is an offence to drive without a NCT how do you bring the car to the test centre? On a tow truck!! Is it going to be a case that if you have the test booked your ok but all depending on the form of the guard you meet.

boardsuser1

k mac wrote: »

As the title says bought a car yesterday with the NCT. Now i know with xmas coming the earliest possible NCT test date i will get will be early january. Does this mean i cannot drive the car all over xmas the only time i really need it as i have a company vehicle for use when i am working. This seems ridiculous to me, if it is an offence to drive without a NCT how do you bring the car to the test centre? On a tow truck!! Is it going to be a case that if you have the test booked your ok but all depending on the form of the guard you meet.

I am writing from experience here,my in law was driving his car around last month, no nct,and like yourself had an appointment in the new year, had the letter and all that to prove it,tax,insurance and licence all in order btw,so on day in November not long before the law changed her was stopped at a checkpoint conducted by the traffic corps,end result was the vehicle was seized for no nct and in his case a day in court beckons, due to not having the nct,even though he produced the letter of appointment, now he said yer man just seemed intent on taking the car regardless but i myself got waved through a checkpoint in the summer with an identical situation, just all depends on the guard really,and as for the tow truck the answer would be a yes in legal terms

corktina

I think a Gard will be more lenient in a case where you can show you just bought the car, rather than where the NCT has merely expired.

Why don't you ring the NCT and request an earlier test, they'll put you on the priority list for a cancellation

keppler

Ive been on the priority list since the 26th of November and still haven't received a booking. My partner then rang the following day to book hers in the same test centre and got her test last thursday, which makes no sense at all. Funny thing is that the phone operator I spoke to told me that Id be just better off ringing frequently and looking for a cancellation .....then whats the point in having a priority list then?

georgefalls

AFAIK, you can drive a car with no NCT, if you are on the way to a booked appointment.
No tow truck needed.

corktina

I beleive you'll find you can bring a car back from a failed NCT and to a garage for repairs with no NCT , but you do need one to drive to the NCT in the first place.

CiniO

georgefalls wrote: »

AFAIK, you can drive a car with no NCT, if you are on the way to a booked appointment.
No tow truck needed.

That's incorrect.
Legally you can't drive a car without NCT, even to NCT centre for puporose of the test.
As corktina mentiones, it is allowed however, to drive it from test centre for the rest of the day, after it fails (but not if it fails dangerous).

It's fairly universal to have a requirement to tow your car on towing truck to test centre if test is expired. I think it's like that in most countries in EU.
What is not the same though, is the horrendous waiting list for NCT in Ireland. Everywhere else you can get a test on the spot. In Ireland you can't.

my3cents

OP don't forget to let the NCT people know next time you call that you are expecting a free test if they can't get you one in thirty days, that tends to get you a test quicker - unless that rule has changed. You have to ask for a free test they don't ever tell you about it.

Del2005

k mac wrote: »

As the title says bought a car yesterday with the NCT. Now i know with xmas coming the earliest possible NCT test date i will get will be early january. Does this mean i cannot drive the car all over xmas the only time i really need it as i have a company vehicle for use when i am working. This seems ridiculous to me, if it is an offence to drive without a NCT how do you bring the car to the test centre? On a tow truck!! Is it going to be a case that if you have the test booked your ok but all depending on the form of the guard you meet.

That's the reason why you should never buy a car without an NCT, the risk of a court appearance and 5 points now reduced to 3 points and a fine to drive your new pride and joy.

In the old days when they had to bring you to court they may have given some lee way but with new on the spot fines, and the big RSA advertisement campaign, I doubt there'll be much lee way from the Gardaí.

georgefalls wrote: »

AFAIK, you can drive a car with no NCT, if you are on the way to a booked appointment.
No tow truck needed.

Not much help to the OP for driving over Christmas.

keppler wrote: »

Ive been on the priority list since the 26th of November and still haven't received a booking. My partner then rang the following day to book hers in the same test centre and got her test last thursday, which makes no sense at all. Funny thing is that the phone operator I spoke to told me that Id be just better off ringing frequently and looking for a cancellation .....then whats the point in having a priority list then?

I'd say the people ringing or checking everyday are getting the tests while you wait for a phone call. Check at 8-8:30 every morning and you'll get a date in most centres in a reasonable time.

bazz26

Booked the father's NCT there a few weeks ago. Initially only got a date in mid February (isn't due till then anyway), checked online for a few days at different times and a slot next week popped up and took that instead. Same with my own cars in the past, never had to wait more than 2 to 3 weeks for a time slot.

We all know the booking system is crap but from my experience working through it rather than fighting it works out better.

georgefalls

Interesting. NCT are telling people to ring, rather than try to book online, after last weeks penalty points increase.


http://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/drivers-told-to-phone-nct-for-appointment-after-points-rise-1.2030390

corktina

georgefalls wrote: »

Interesting. NCT are telling people to ring, rather than try to book online, after last weeks penalty points increase.


http://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/drivers-told-to-phone-nct-for-appointment-after-points-rise-1.2030390

It was a points decrease (from 5 to 3)...and the fine is reduced too and you don't have to make a Court appearance.