Stuck in a catch 22

damon5

Right so put car in for NCT it failed on rear brake imbalance 43% so left it into a garage to get sorted out,was informed that the brake proportioning valve had to be replaced so had that done.Went in for the retest and failed on rear imbalance again,the nct lad done the test a few times and he said the highest reading was 40 something but the lowest he could get was 39% couldnt believe it as had read somewhere that someone was having the same issue as me and replaced the rear brake proportioning valve on their car and it dropped from 40% down to 7%.
Reason i went to this garage is that they have the machine to check for imbalance so bought the car back to them to sort it out,a few hours later i was told that their was a slight warp in the rear discs and shoes and that they skimmed them back.Now the catch is my NCT expired on the 4th of this month which means it shouldnt be on the road but i have to bed in the shoes for 2,3,4 hundred miles so need to be on the road to get them bed in hopefully enough that will get the car get through the NCT.
What would happen if someone went into a garage and got shoes or discs etc replaced because if not the car would have failed and it was only a short time before their Nct test was due.does the NCT have another ritual of testing cars in this predicament,cheers...

hi5

The proportioning valve splits Front to back not left to right, it probably just required bleeding.

damon5

hi5 wrote: »

The proportioning valve splits Front to back not left to right, it probably just required bleeding.

Thanks for that,know shag all to do with cars but scour forums on the internet to try to educate myself especially regarding my own make of car,i try to limit getting the wool pulled over the eyes especially as on a small budget..
This catch 22 post is a biggie for me looking for imput from other boardsies as the car has served me well and would like to see it kept on the road another few years with all the trouble with it happening this the 13th year ived owned it :eek:

deckie27

Should be no need to"bed"in the brakes.

I replaced pads and discs on a car last year hours before a test. got a 0% imbalance

pm1977x

Replaced front pads and discs due to NCT failure on front and wear and tear on a disc, mechanic told me to leave the retest for a few days to allow them bed in, said it might fail if test was next day.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Book your retest for 2 or 3 weeks time. You are ok to drive once you have the new date and if it's questioned tell them you couldn't get date that suits till the date in question. Take your test fail sheet with you to show you did test the car and are merely waiting for the retest. It's no big deal and you are quite entitled to continue driving the car.

damon5

deckie27 wrote: »

Should be no need to"bed"in the brakes.

I replaced pads and discs on a car last year hours before a test. got a 0% imbalance

Jasus i,m in shock was always told it took a few hundred mile to bed them in,cheers...

damon5

pm1977x wrote: »

Replaced front pads and discs due to NCT failure on front and wear and tear on a disc, mechanic told me to leave the retest for a few days to allow them bed in, said it might fail if test was next day.

Thanks for your imput,stress levels starting to drop now,cheers.

damon5

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Book your retest for 2 or 3 weeks time. You are ok to drive once you have the gee date and if it's questioned tell them you couldn't get date that suits till the date in question. Take your test fail sheet with you to show you dud test the car and are merely waiting for the retest. It's no big deal and you are quite entitled to continue driving the car.

Thanks for your reply after reading your post think it will be the first night that i will get a half decent sleep,cheers....

pm1977x

damon5 wrote: »

Thanks for your imput,stress levels starting to drop now,cheers.

You're welcome, btw I did the re-test 6 days later, no major journeys in the car, had just been out and about to the local shops etc...and it passed.

damon5

Just a thought with everyone commenting on replacing pads and discs thing is i have shoes at the back,would the same info apply,cheers.

damon5

Would the skim of rear disks and shoes that was done in my situation instead of front or rear disks and pads relate to replies given especially regarding the rear imbalance issue i,m having,PLS forgive my ignorance.

deckie27

Leaving your handbrake on a notch would help it bed in Very quickly
Miles means nothing you could drive 50 miles and use the brakes 100 times.
You could drive 2 miles and use the brakes 200 times

damon5

deckie27 wrote: »

Leaving your handbrake on a notch would help it bed in Very quickly
Miles means nothing you could drive 50 miles and use the brakes 100 times.
You could drive 2 miles and use the brakes 200 times

Cheers for reply deckie 27 but would there not be an issue with constant heat being applied to the disks and shoes warping them so i,m back to square one,only have 4 notches on the handbrake too.

Isambard

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Book your retest for 2 or 3 weeks time. You are ok to drive once you have the gee date and if it's questioned tell them you couldn't get date that suits till the date in question. Take your test fail sheet with you to show you dud test the car and are merely waiting for the retest. It's no big deal and you are quite entitled to continue driving the car.

yes, and if you met an awkward Gard tell them a guy in the 'net said it was Ok to keep driving.

deckie27

You said you have shoes and drums on the rear. So no disc to warp


Reason for being is for brake shoe to mould or wear to the imperfections of the inside of the drum

If you apply the rear brake lightly for short intervals while driving you will speed up beds in process

damon5

deckie27 wrote: »

You said you have shoes and drums on the rear. So no disc to warp


Reason for being is for brake shoe to mould or wear to the imperfections of the inside of the drum

If you apply the rear brake lightly for short intervals while driving you will speed up beds in process

Thanks for your reply so i will do some driving raising the handbrake some with the thumb keeping the button on the handbrake pushed in if i understood you right,cheers.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Isambard wrote: »

yes, and if you met an awkward Gard tell them a guy in the 'net said it was Ok to keep driving.

If the retest is booked then no one will take issue with it besides the car isn't long out of test. Gardai know as well as anyone that the NCT is not a walk in job and that there are backlogs in all NCT centres. He has had the work carried out and has his new date booked. There is no problem and is entitled to continue using the car.

damon5

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

If the retest is booked then no one will take issue with it besides the car isn't long out of test. Gardai know as well as anyone that the NCT is not a walk in job and that there are backlogs in all NCT centres. He has had the work carried out and has his new date booked. There is no problem and is entitled to continue using the car.

Hi thanks for that,thing is i failed the first test on a damaged faulty front passenger seat and rear service brake imbalance on the 16dec and the retest was on the 9th jan,nct cert was up on the 4th jan.Had to extend the retest to the 15th jan because still looking for a replacement seat had to pay and pay an extra 11.50 on top of the retest fee.
Looking for that seat was like looking for hens teeth,after nearly searching a month for the seat i eventually found one a day before the NCT.
So how would it be now if stopped by the gaurds,its not a retest,nct ran out since the 4th and me prefering to get some bedding in on the brakes for the imbalance issue before i book it in for a full test again.cheers..