[First] NCT

dobman88

I bought my first car in November and the NCT is tomorrow. I've nwver been for an NCT before so what should I do to get the car ready?

I think it will pass, I've driven it very little snce buying it and it was off the road after the last test for 3 months and only had one lady owner from new so the car should be ok.

My plan is to give it a clean tomorrow after work, take out my CD's and stuff like that, take off the hubcaps?, make sure the tyres are correct, put water in, check oil. I checked all the lights and indicators today.

Anything else?

Atlantic Dawn

Check all tyres, check all lights, remove any hubcaps if there's any on the wheels, clear the boot and backseats. Bring ID with you and the VLC.

El Guapo!

One thing a lot of people overlook is make sure the rear seat belts are free and not tucked down behind the seat.

RandomAccess

Is it a Diesel?

lycan238

I have my NCT tomorrow evening. Bring your driving licence and VLC and the fee if needed.

To prepare for the test make sure all lights are working correctly, tyres are correctly inflated, as far as I am aware if wheel nuts can be seen you can leave hubcaps on (open to correction on that). I normally give car a good clean (got it valeted this time) and get a good car wash beforehand but not directly before the test either. Since my NCT is due annually I use it as a reminder to get my engine service done. Also I normally make sure all seatbelts are in the buckle when I park car for test.

dobman88

Thanks folks. Sounds like what I am going to do is correct. Just a bit nervoua cos it's my first car.

RandomAccess wrote: »

Is it a Diesel?

No.

RandomAccess

Let us know how you get on anyway. Best of luck!

aujopimur

No need to check tyre pressure, the tester does that.

ION08

No need to remove hubcaps unless they are covering the studs!

Give it an italian tune up on the way to the centre.

degsie

When checking lights make sure you include the rear registration lights, easily missed.

lycan238

lycan238 wrote: »

Also I normally make sure all seatbelts are in the buckle when I park car for test.

From speaking to testers and mechanics anecdotally, this seems to be something they really appreciate people doing. Perhaps it saves them a couple of seconds per test or something? but apparently it goes down well with them.

GvidoR

degsie wrote: »

When checking lights make sure you include the rear registration lights, easily missed.

It will pass if they don't work, you'll just get an advisory. It's good to check them and make sure they're working anyway.

wonski

aujopimur wrote: »

No need to check tyre pressure, the tester does that.

Really?

dobman88

aujopimur wrote: »

No need to check tyre pressure, the tester does that.

I'd rather make sure it's correct though. So that if he does check tyre pressure he won't have a reason to say anything about it.

9935452

dobman88 wrote: »

I'd rather make sure it's correct though. So that if he does check tyre pressure he won't have a reason to say anything about it.

Id be the same. The less small things they find wrong the less they might see when they look.
The other thing regarding pressure is , they should be right regardless

lycan238

My car failed this evening. Rust and emissions sort of expect this to be honest on a 16 year old car but disappointed my mechanic did not spot the rust the other day when I was out getting him to look at car.

dobman88

lycan238 wrote: »

My car failed this evening. Rust and emissions sort of expect this to be honest on a 16 year old car but disappointed my mechanic did not spot the rust the other day when I was out getting him to look at car.

I've just arrived for my test. It's a 97 so a nervous wait now

lycan238

No need to be nervous about it. my car barely passed the emissions last year so expected that.

Mervyn Skidmore

lycan238 wrote: »

No need to be nervous about it. my car barely passed the emissions last year so expected that.

My 00 Focus is up for NCT tomorrow, seems to be driving pretty good but I'm sure they'll find something wrong with it. You could try cataclean for the emissions but the rust is a big problem and usually expensive to fix. I'll fly my car up and down the motorway before the test to make sure she's well up to operating temps.

RandomAccess

dobman88 wrote: »

I've just arrived for my test. It's a 97 so a nervous wait now

Liveblogging it eh.

dooroy

' disappointed my mechanic did not spot the rust the other day when I was out getting him to look at car'

Rust can be something of a grey area - sorting it could range from just a bit of sanding down and paint to having to cut out rusty sections and weld in new metal.
So when checking over a car pre test it can be difficult enough to decide whats going to be acceptable to a particular tester .

lycan238

dooroy wrote: »

' disappointed my mechanic did not spot the rust the other day when I was out getting him to look at car'

Rust can be something of a grey area - sorting it could range from just a bit of sanding down and paint to having to cut out rusty sections and weld in new metal.
So when checking over a car pre test it can be difficult enough to decide whats going to be acceptable to a particular tester .

I know the tester well and I asked him about it. He said it was obvious that it would not be acceptable. my only possible conclusion is that when I washed the car underneath last night it showed up whereas previously it had been hidden due to dirt/muck etc.

mgbgt1978

dobman88 wrote: »

I've just arrived for my test. It's a 97 so a nervous wait now

.......well ??????

....or are you still waiting ?

dooroy

'when I washed the car underneath last night'

If you used a power washer this could certainly be the case I suppose

lycan238

dooroy wrote: »

'when I washed the car underneath last night'

If you used a power washer this could certainly be the case I suppose

Local car wash. The man that normally does it goes at 6. I went there around 7 and they let me use it myself to wash the car.

dooroy

Did he show you the rust - is it in the wheel arch , under the floor , on a chassis rail etc ?

lycan238

dooroy wrote: »

Did he show you the rust - is it in the wheel arch , under the floor , on a chassis rail etc ?

No he told me where the rust was. its not on the chassis. its the floor on the passenger side and somewhere around the boot.

dooroy

If the underseal was beginning to come away from the metal then the powerwasher jet could have peeled it off in places.
Is it just surface rust or are there holes ?
Did the tester give any indication of what was required - sanding and resealing for example or would more extensive work be required (this can get expensive)

dobman88

Failed on a tracking rod on passenger side. Happy with that for a 1997 car. Spoke to my mechanic and it's cheap and easy to fix so happy days.

lycan238

dooroy wrote: »

If the underseal was beginning to come away from the metal then the powerwasher jet could have peeled it off in places.
Is it just surface rust or are there holes ?
Did the tester give any indication of what was required - sanding and resealing for example or would more extensive work be required (this can get expensive)

No I would guess its just a sand and re-seal if its more than that I would be surprised.

dobman88 wrote: »

Failed on a tracking rod on passenger side. Happy with that for a 1997 car. Spoke to my mechanic and it's cheap and easy to fix so happy days.

I had to replace one of these before the test. wont know how expensive it was until my car passes NCT.

dobman88

lycan238 wrote: »

I had to replace one of these before the test. wont know how expensive it was until my car passes NCT.

What do you mean? Be about €25 for the part and whatever he charges for labour. Fairly cheap I think.

lycan238

I bring my car to my mechanic when I get the date for the test. He looks at car and if something needs doing before test he does them (in this case a track rod end and a flexible brake pipe). I then bring car in for NCT. If it passes I pay whatever is owed if not he fixes whatever I failed on (in this case rust and emissions). If it passes on first re-test I pay the bill if not back to mechanic to get more fixes done then back for second re test (repeat as necessary).

dobman88

lycan238 wrote: »

I bring my car to my mechanic when I get the date for the test. He looks at car and if something needs doing before test he does them (in this case a track rod end and a flexible brake pipe). I then bring car in for NCT. If it passes I pay whatever is owed if not he fixes whatever I failed on (in this case rust and emissions). If it passes on first re-test I pay the bill if not back to mechanic to get more fixes done then back for second re test (repeat as necessary).

Yikes. My man just told me to put it through and he'd fix whatever was wrong. He said it would save all the messing around your lad seems to be doing and the nct will tell you for the price of a re test!

mullingar

Bringing a car to a garage prior to an nct is completely unnecessary.

If you do bring it to a garage prior, that garage will replace parts in *their* opinion that *might* fail, yet could be an nct pass.

All that is really required for the driver to do is some basic wheel/light checks and throw it in.


Don't forget, a retest is only €28 if a test lane is required!

mullingar

mullingar wrote: »

Bringing a car to a garage prior to an nct is completely unnecessary.

If you do bring it to a garage prior, that garage will replace parts in *their* opinion that *might* fail, yet could be an nct pass.

All that is really required for the driver to do is some basic wheel/light checks and throw it in.


Don't forget, a retest is only €28 if a test lane is required!

In majority of cases you could well be right.


When I was buying the 2001 Focus, i got it checked by a mechanic. He gave the car a good overall looking and said that he reckons I should get the rear brake lines looked at before NCT (rust). He didn't elaborate too much, but pointed out one or two other things.


So In my case, it will favour me to visit the mechanic before NCT. That way he can try and sand/hammerite the rusted brake lines, in an effort to get it through the NCT (the alternative is that it might fail on the brake lines, and if it does, then i will pay over the odds to get new ones sorted).


So in my case it's a preventative medicine (the chap that looked over the car when I was buying it did say that, however, he also has an 01 Focus, and his brake lines were about the same as mine in terms of rust, and he passed, but that he had customers coming in with less rust that were failing, so it was a bit of a 50/50 chance).

mickdw

In fairness, surface rusting of brake pipes is one thing that is worth looking at before taking car to test. I'm not talkinging about a cover up of a rusty pipes in order to pass, I'm talking about cleaning up prefectly good lines that might look bad to a tester.
I got caught like that on an old car I had. The lines were actually excellent when taking them off but once he failed them, they had to be changed.

wonski

mickdw wrote: »

In fairness, surface rusting of brake pipes is one thing that is worth looking at before taking car to test. I'm not talkinging about a cover up of a rusty pipes in order to pass, I'm talking about cleaning up prefectly good lines that might look bad to a tester.
I got caught like that on an old car I had. The lines were actually excellent when taking them off but once he failed them, they had to be changed.

Agreed, my mechanic mentioned it to me once and I ignored it.

Pricey to change afterwards, much cheaper to clean them (unless they are rusted in which case they would have to be replaced anyway).

I spent €150-200 to get them replaced iirc.

JohnBoy26

mullingar wrote: »

Bringing a car to a garage prior to an nct is completely unnecessary.

If you do bring it to a garage prior, that garage will replace parts in *their* opinion that *might* fail, yet could be an nct pass.

All that is really required for the driver to do is some basic wheel/light checks and throw it in.


Don't forget, a retest is only €28 if a test lane is required!

Actually it can be a good thing to bring it to your mechanic to give it a once over and check the obvious items that could fail.

For one it could save you coming back for a retest and second the parts that the garage deem "in *their* opinion" need replacing could be potential safety items that might pass the nct but mightn't be great in the longer term regarding the road worthiness of the vehicle. Shock absorbers, brakes, links etc spring to mind.

lycan238

lycan238 wrote: »

I have my NCT tomorrow evening. Bring your driving licence and VLC and the fee if needed.

To prepare for the test make sure all lights are working correctly, tyres are correctly inflated, as far as I am aware if wheel nuts can be seen you can leave hubcaps on (open to correction on that). I normally give car a good clean (got it valeted this time) and get a good car wash beforehand but not directly before the test either. Since my NCT is due annually I use it as a reminder to get my engine service done. Also I normally make sure all seatbelts are in the buckle when I park car for test.

mullingar wrote: »

Bringing a car to a garage prior to an nct is completely unnecessary.

If you do bring it to a garage prior, that garage will replace parts in *their* opinion that *might* fail, yet could be an nct pass.

All that is really required for the driver to do is some basic wheel/light checks and throw it in.

Don't forget, a retest is only €28 if a test lane is required!

Hi mullingar My post from earlier in the thread answers your point that bringing a car to a garage prior to an nct is completely unnecessary. My mechanic always asks my opinion on whether to do work on the car first before doing it. Like others I have been caught out before with obvious fails. No point being out an extra €28 that was not necessary (since I get my car serviced before NCT - the mechanic gives the car the once over albeit there is a problem somewhere since I failed the emissions test this time)