NCT scam ?

The Ging and I

In 2012 I registered my van not in use with the road tax office.
In January 2014 I put it back on the road. Did my NCT, activated the insurance and paid my road tax for the year.
Last week the road tax came up for renewal and I went in to pay for it. The assistant then told me my NCT was 6 months out off date. I could not believe it, I told her I paid for it in full last January. She then tells me it expired in July. I went back to the van and checked the window sticker, the road tax assistant was correct ! I nearly died, I had done 42000k this year and had the van parked in the city a lot.
I rang NCT and explained my situation to be told its from July to July (in my case)and its continuous. Further to that it was my responsibility to know this and be up to date.
I am of course furious about this.
Has anyone any suggestions or ideas on this ?

Kenny Logins

Do another NCT. This isn't new, or a mistake.

michellie

Why do you think it's a scam?

dr.fuzzenstein

Sorry, what was out? Tax or NCT?

3rdDegree

That's just the way the NCT works. It caught me out too the first time, but now that I'm aware, it's not an issue.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Sorry, what was out? Tax or NCT?

He would be referring to CVRT now and both are now expired

Its the case the van must be cvrtd to get tax etc.

Perfectly normal. Book it in for a cvrt and tax it.

Skrynesaver

The entire NCT system is a scam, it was introduced as an aid to (the misnamed) SIMA during a downturn and there's no data to support the idea that it's a boon for safety.

mooonpie

NCT is based on a vehicle's date of registration, and always has been as far as I'm aware ...

http://www.nct.ie/q4.html

Breffnigolfer

Skrynesaver wrote: »

The entire NCT system is a scam, it was introduced as an aid to (the misnamed) SIMA during a downturn and there's no data to support the idea that it's a boon for safety.

That has to go down as the stupidest post of the day. Do you really believe that?

( What is SIMA?)

greasepalm

aye brakes pass with 1mm of lining left as no imbalance but grinds a week later,nct will never mean car is safe.

Breffnigolfer

The Ging and I wrote: »

In 2012 I registered my van not in use with the road tax office.
In January 2014 I put it back on the road. Did my NCT, activated the insurance and paid my road tax for the year.
Last week the road tax came up for renewal and I went in to pay for it. The assistant then told me my NCT was 6 months out off date. I could not believe it, I told her I paid for it in full last January. She then tells me it expired in July. I went back to the van and checked the window sticker, the road tax assistant was correct ! I nearly died, I had done 42000k this year and had the van parked in the city a lot.
I rang NCT and explained my situation to be told its from July to July (in my case)and its continuous. Further to that it was my responsibility to know this and be up to date.
I am of course furious about this.
Has anyone any suggestions or ideas on this ?

But vans are not subject to an NCT.

testicle

Where's the scam???

colm_mcm

Skrynesaver wrote: »

The entire NCT system is a scam, it was introduced as an aid to (the misnamed) SIMA during a downturn and there's no data to support the idea that it's a boon for safety.

To be fair. That post is nonsense.

corktina

the whole thread is nonsense...if it's a van, it's got nothing to do with the NCT. I call shenanigans

Special Circumstances

corktina wrote: »

I call shenanigans

Seconded!

greasepalm

are you assuming all vans have commercial insurance though as with diesels usually are,just asking?

visual

mooonpie wrote: »

NCT is based on a vehicle's date of registration, and always has been as far as I'm aware ...

http://www.nct.ie/q4.html

That is the scam
there was no reason for that and the complexity of booking test

mickdw

visual wrote: »

That is the scam
there was no reason for that and the complexity of booking test

There is reason. It prevents people from stretching out the term - trying to go a month or two without test to get next test to later date.
The system in place means that there is no incentive to delay test.
Complexity of booking? Enter your reg number and date of registration. They will then book you a test and you don't even need a credit card or anything as they will allow you to pay on the day.
They will even let you continue to change your date free as long as you do so 5 days in advance.

corktina

greasepalm wrote: »

are you assuming all vans have commercial insurance though as with diesels usually are,just asking?

what's commercial insurance got to do with it?

mickdw

greasepalm wrote: »

aye brakes pass with 1mm of lining left as no imbalance but grinds a week later,nct will never mean car is safe.

But pad thickness has no bearing on brake performance. Full pad or minimum pad is still a,fully functioning and acceptable braking system.
What you are confusing here is that you think the nct should look after your entire service schedule and that you shouldn't need to touch the car again until the next test.
I guess you feel that it's the nct guys fault that you ran your brakes down to minimum.

hi5

You can get at least a year now, no matter when you have the test done, it changed 28 July last.

http://www.ncts.ie/customer_service_enhancements_to_nct_july_2014.html

mickdw

hi5 wrote: »

You can get at least a year now, no matter when you have the test done, it changed 28 July last.

Nope. There were changes but that is not correct

dr.fuzzenstein

mickdw wrote: »

But pad thickness has no bearing on brake performance. Full pad or minimum pad is still a,fully functioning and acceptable braking system.
What you are confusing here is that you think the nct should look after your entire service schedule and that you shouldn't need to touch the car again until the next test.
I guess you feel that it's the nct guys fault that you ran your brakes down to minimum.

That.
NCT is there to ensure a certain minimum standard of cars on the road and to ensure nobody drives around blinding people with no brakes.
Now people say "Oh, but the NCT didn't tell me the synchro on 1st gear was going, they are useless and a scam!"
The maintenance of the car is the OWNERS responsibility, he/she has to know what needs to be done.
Before the NCT cars where shining their lights into the trees, every second car had a cracked windscreen, rear lights didn't work, cars where crabbing sideways due to no alignment/accident damage, bumpers where held on by blue twine, rustholes the size of my fist, I could go on at length, my friends back in Germany where thinking I was joking when I compared cars here to Morocco and Mexico.
The standard of vehicles has dramatically improved compared to the 90's.
While in Germany cars back then where all well maintained. Why? TUV. And if you drive a rustbucket, you will be stopped and your deathtrap confiscated and crushed.
If nothing else, NCT forces the Irish to service their cars every 2 years, which is twice as much as before.

corktina

if you have a valid NCT and test a car three months or more before the due date, you get a 12 month disc. Within three months you get 12 months plus the balance of the three months to the due date. If your NCT is out, you get up to the next due date only

mickdw

corktina wrote: »

If your NCT is out, you get up to the next due date only

Yes and they have therefore maintained the system whereby there is no benefit in delaying a test.

cerastes

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

That.
NCT is there to ensure a certain minimum standard of cars on the road and to ensure nobody drives around blinding people with no brakes.
Now people say "Oh, but the NCT didn't tell me the synchro on 1st gear was going, they are useless and a scam!"
The maintenance of the car is the OWNERS responsibility, he/she has to know what needs to be done.
Before the NCT cars where shining their lights into the trees, every second car had a cracked windscreen, rear lights didn't work, cars where crabbing sideways due to no alignment/accident damage, bumpers where held on by blue twine, rustholes the size of my fist, I could go on at length, my friends back in Germany where thinking I was joking when I compared cars here to Morocco and Mexico.
The standard of vehicles has dramatically improved compared to the 90's.
While in Germany cars back then where all well maintained. Why? TUV. And if you drive a rustbucket, you will be stopped and your deathtrap confiscated and crushed.
If nothing else, NCT forces the Irish to service their cars every 2 years, which is twice as much as before.

I dont understand the correlation? how do you blind people with no brakes?
Unless you are leaving a shower of sparks and this is causing the blindness :eek:.
As for the other stuff, you still some stuff, dont know how people pass their cars when they seem to drive around with a load of faults normally.

mgbgt1978

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

If nothing else, NCT forces the Irish to service their cars every 2 years, which is twice as much as before.

When were we forced to service our cars every Four Years ?????

scrap_man

The Ging and I wrote: »

In 2012 I registered my van not in use with the road tax office.
In January 2014 I put it back on the road. Did my NCT, activated the insurance and paid my road tax for the year.
Last week the road tax came up for renewal and I went in to pay for it. The assistant then told me my NCT was 6 months out off date. I could not believe it, I told her I paid for it in full last January. She then tells me it expired in July. I went back to the van and checked the window sticker, the road tax assistant was correct ! I nearly died, I had done 42000k this year and had the van parked in the city a lot.
I rang NCT and explained my situation to be told its from July to July (in my case)and its continuous. Further to that it was my responsibility to know this and be up to date.
I am of course furious about this.
Has anyone any suggestions or ideas on this ?

I think you mean DOE not NCT. If your van did not have a current doe when you got it tested, then you only get 6 months on your test. If it still had a valid doe when you got it tested then you would have gotten the full year.
http://www.cvrt.ie/en/Certificate-of-Roadworthiness/Pages/CRW-Expiry-Dates.aspx

cnoc

corktina wrote: »

if you have a valid NCT and test a car three months or more before the due date, you get a 12 month disc. Within three months you get 12 months plus the balance of the three months to the due date. If your NCT is out, you get up to the next due date only

If the car is 9 years and 8 months old you will get a 2 year certificate.

visual

mickdw wrote: »

There is reason. It prevents people from stretching out the term - trying to go a month or two without test to get next test to later date.
The system in place means that there is no incentive to delay test.
Complexity of booking? Enter your reg number and date of registration. They will then book you a test and you don't even need a credit card or anything as they will allow you to pay on the day.
They will even let you continue to change your date free as long as you do so 5 days in advance.

While in reality there is months of delays
Unlike every other cizilisalised country that do a test that is valid from date of test for a year we opted for a tax system. That has always got a back log because of greed and

braddun

I always do my nct early

corktina

cnoc wrote: »

If the car is 9 years and 8 months old you will get a 2 year certificate.

yes, forgot to say that, actually you would get two years AND the odd four moinths

cnoc

corktina wrote: »

yes, forgot to say that, actually you would get two years AND the odd four moinths

No problem. Are you saying that would actually get a cert for 2 yrs and 4 months?

corktina

cnoc wrote: »

No problem. Are you saying that would actually get a cert for 2 yrs and 4 months?

ah no I'm confusing myself now..... must take more water with it..... 2 years in this instance...two years and the odd months if within three months of next test

Satanta

Judging by allot of the comments here some people weren't actually driving before the nct came in.

I grew up working in a garage and 90% of clients were for breakdowns/repairs rather than actual servicing. So as one poster asked, nobody was forced to service every 4 yeas (I believe that's a pedantic question). It was what you down the country would call a "nixer" operation but the point is valid I believe.

I also had a cousin that bought an audi coupe. Lowered the front by hacksawing the springs. That was tough so just put a pile of blocks in the back to balance it out. Another mate but a full leather interior into a subaru that didn't fit. And therefore wasn't screwed in. The nct goes a long way to make sure planks don't get doing that these days.

To the initial point, you really should know how the thibg works at this stage. It's been in operation long enough.

mickdw

corktina wrote: »

yes, forgot to say that, actually you would get two years AND the odd four moinths

No. To get the 2 years on the car approaching 10 years, you have to avail of the voluntary test meaning you need to go earlier than 3 months early. They will give 2 years from test date on voluntary test.
If you wait till within the 3 months on a car approaching 10 years, you will only get the single year plus the odd extra months.

dr.fuzzenstein

cerastes wrote: »

I dont understand the correlation? how do you blind people with no brakes?
Unless you are leaving a shower of sparks and this is causing the blindness :eek:.
As for the other stuff, you still some stuff, dont know how people pass their cars when they seem to drive around with a load of faults normally.

You blind peoke with badly aligned lights and as for the brakes, that's just one more NCT test item.
The difference between cars in the 90's and now is vast. You still see the odd blue twine banger with water in the headlights and a valid NCT cert, but back then that was every second car.

Demonical

Van can be a car-van and insured and taxed privately and thus needing an NCT over DOE..no?

And I have to agree with the OP..it's a disgrace that they needed to have the car NCT backdated for when it was declared off the road. That to me seems like a pure money making scam.

dr.fuzzenstein

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

When were we forced to service our cars every Four Years ?????

We weren't forced, that was just the average service schedule of an Irish car. Service meaning opening the bonnet and pouring a liter of oil into the engine. Garages back then told me coolant, brake fluid and gearbox oil never have to be changed, sure that's just a waste of money and 15w40 is good enough for any car and that synthetic stuff is just a scam.
Service history simply didn't exist, if you asked for it, people looked at you as if you had 10 heads.

Demonical

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

You blind peoke with badly aligned lights and as for the brakes, that's just one more NCT test item.
The difference between cars in the 90's and now us vast. You still see the odd blue twine banger with water in the headlights and a valid NCT cert, but back then that was every second car.

There is a higher % of newer cars on the road these days compared to the 90's. I personally don't think its that older cars are looked after better just that there is a lot less older cars.

And there is still a lot of mis-focused, one headlamp, one rear light, one brake light cars going around the roads..I see no difference between now and 15 years ago in that respect.

Breffnigolfer

Demonical wrote: »

There is a higher % of newer cars on the road these days compared to the 90's..

........

Where do you get this from? The average age of cars in Ireland today is close on 8 years old.

R.O.R

Demonical wrote: »

Van can be a car-van and insured and taxed privately and thus needing an NCT over DOE..no?

No.

A van is a van, and as such needs a CRVT test.

It could be taxed and insured as a horse, but that doesn't change the fact it's a van.

colm_mcm

How much is horse tax?

Bongalongherb

The NCT is a scam imo, what's it now €55 that's a ripoff. at the most it should only be €25. Mine is on feb 3rd, I'm going to haggle with them until they call the Gards.

johnayo

colm_mcm wrote: »

How much is horse tax?

It depends who is ridin it.:D

greasepalm

mickdw wrote: »

But pad thickness has no bearing on brake performance. Full pad or minimum pad is still a,fully functioning and acceptable braking system.
What you are confusing here is that you think the nct should look after your entire service schedule and that you shouldn't need to touch the car again until the next test.
I guess you feel that it's the nct guys fault that you ran your brakes down to minimum.

i dont as i work in a garage but customers think once they pass nct test car is good and safe which at times is not,cars should get serviced or looked at least once a year.

mgbgt1978

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

The standard of vehicles has dramatically improved compared to the 90's.
While in Germany cars back then where all well maintained. Why? TUV. And if you drive a rustbucket, you will be stopped and your deathtrap confiscated and crushed.
If nothing else, NCT forces the Irish to service their cars every 2 years, which is twice as much as before.

When were we forced to service our cars every Four Years ???

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

We weren't forced, that was just the average service schedule of an Irish car. Service meaning opening the bonnet and pouring a liter of oil into the engine. Garages back then told me coolant, brake fluid and gearbox oil never have to be changed, sure that's just a waste of money and 15w40 is good enough for any car and that synthetic stuff is just a scam.
Service history simply didn't exist, if you asked for it, people looked at you as if you had 10 heads.

Oh, so we weren't forced. just a typo, eh :rolleyes:.
.....and presumably you have evidence to back up this "average" figure. Or is this yet another one of these posts where you state that the German motorists do it so much better than the Irish ?

mickdw

greasepalm wrote: »

i dont as i work in a garage but customers think once they pass nct test car is good and safe which at times is not,cars should get serviced or looked at least once a year.

But you say the nct is a waste because it may pass a car with worn pads.
That is clearly an owner issue.
I agree that cars need to be serviced but I think the nct does provide a valuable service. Given today's motorway speeds having brakes that are somewhere near balanced etc is quite a safety plus.
How many 10 year old cars would have calipers replaced or brake lines replaced before the test came about. I'd say only enthusiastic drivers / owners would notice or have been interested.

colm_mcm

Bongalongherb wrote: »

The NCT is a scam imo, what's it now €55 that's a ripoff. at the most it should only be €25. Mine is on feb 3rd, I'm going to haggle with them until they call the Gards.

Where does your €25 figure come from? That'd hardly cover wages nevermind equipment/admin/light/heat etc.

Bongalongherb

colm_mcm wrote: »

Where does your €25 figure come from? That'd hardly cover wages nevermind equipment/admin/light/heat etc.

My figures come from logic. How long does it take for a persons car/van to be tested... 20 minutes thereabouts, so €25 for 20 minutes of a test is sufficient imo. €55 is nuts though.

colm_mcm

How much would you pay a garage in labour per hour? serious question.