NCT fail due to non-working/missing headlamp washers

TomOnBoard

My 2002 Rover 75 is fitted with normal headlamps from the factory using standard halogen bulbs. They are NOT HIDs.

The car was fitted with both headlamp jet washers and levelling motors. When I bought the car 6 years ago, one of the jets on the front bumper was missing, but the washers worked for around 2 years, until I hit a fox and much of the mechanism and piping at the front of the car was damaged. I just had my mechanic shut off the washers after that (4 yrs ago) and all was grand. I passed 3 NCTs in the intervening years.

Today, my car failed on a number of items which I understand and will sort out. However, it also failed because the washers are not working. Given that they were optional extras at the time and the lights are halogen and not HIDs, should it matter that they're not working? Tester said that because they had been fitted originally, they must be working. I checked the latest NCT manual and can find no reference to headlamp washers, except for where HIDs are in use.

Thoughts?

mickdw

Certainly my understanding is that they are required with xenon lights. Shouldn't have been an issue on your car.

darragh o meara

My last car failed on one of my headlamp washers not wetting the lamp enough... was easy enough to get overturned with a quick appeal letter to NCT. Some of them are a law unto themselves...

A quick fix would be to just remove them and tape up the holes. It's a bit like foglamps, if fitted then they need to work. I've seen plenty lads with broken fogs remove them or tape them up for the test.

TomOnBoard

darragh o meara wrote: »

My last car failed on one of my headlamp washers not wetting the lamp enough... was easy enough to get overturned with a quick appeal letter to NCT. Some of them are a law unto themselves...

A quick fix would be to just remove them and tape up the holes. It's a bit like foglamps, if fitted then they need to work. I've seen plenty lads with broken fogs remove them or tape them up for the test.

Do you have Xenon/HIDs?

jimmycrackcorm

darragh o meara wrote:

A quick fix would be to just remove them and tape up the holes. It's a bit like foglamps, if fitted then they need to work. I've seen plenty lads with broken fogs remove them or tape them up for the test.

Fog lights don't need to work.
My car also failed last year on auto headlight leveling. Disabled that and retested successfully.

TomOnBoard

Well, I got onto the Head Office who passed me back to the Test Centre. I held my line that the presence or otherwise of headlamp cleaning devices is only subject to being tested where a) HIDS are in place as Original Equipment, AND b) such devices (Jets or Wipers) were mandatory on the vehicle in question.

Section 30 of the July revision of the NCT manual deals with it.

So now to sort out the other things and get the ould certificate.. So anyway, that's a result. Thanks to anyone who responded.

And, BTW, the lads in the NCTS were grand about it, although I did have to convince them.

irish bloke

TomOnBoard wrote: »

Well, I got onto the Head Office who passed me back to the Test Centre. I held my line that the presence or otherwise of headlamp cleaning devices is only subject to being tested where a) HIDS are in place as Original Equipment, AND b) such devices (Jets or Wipers) were mandatory on the vehicle in question.

Section 30 of the July revision of the NCT manual deals with it.

So now to sort out the other things and get the ould certificate.. So anyway, that's a result. Thanks to anyone who responded.

And, BTW, the lads in the NCTS were grand about it, although I did have to convince them.

In fairness though, they wasted an awful lot of your time for not having a clue what they were doing..drives me mad that kind of stuff..

TomOnBoard

irish bloke wrote: »

In fairness though, they wasted an awful lot of your time for not having a clue what they were doing..drives me mad that kind of stuff..

True that!

However, I didn't really have a problem when they were decent enough about it.. They've been inundated with a load of changes in May and July and are trying to manage it. I reckon its not so much the lads in the NCT centre that were the problem, rather it was the lads who interpreted the new EU directives and new Manual and designed the training courses with a few gray areas..

No harm, no foul really... To me, we all make mistakes.. Its how we deal with them and their effect on customers/clients that makes the difference. In this case, a bit of convincing was needed, but once I dropped the glasses on the nose and did the Vera Duckworth stare, the lads were grand. I suppose its hard for lads to say they're wrong.

Cee-Jay-Cee

TomOnBoard wrote: »

And, BTW, the lads in the NCTS were grand about it, although I did have to convince them.

Customers shouldn’t have to convince NCT employees that what they done was wrong. It’s their job to know the regulations in respect of all items they test.