Do you see the NCT as an inconvenience?

Vavavοοm

Had my NCT today and passed with flying colours - because I look after my car. No marks or visuals.

Last year I got a visual on a brake light (I have a tupperware with spare bulbs in my boot) I replaced it there and then and received my cert.

I have never failed and NCT and religiously service my car and keep my tyres perfect etc. My car is 16 years old.

Is the NCT not a nuisance and superfluous for people who already keep their cars up to scratch? Leave enforcement of bulbs up to Gardaí.

A bulb can blow on the way to the centre or even on the way out after getting your pass.

I’ve seen one or two people occasionally getting abusive with the testers.

mickdw

Yes for people who keep.their car right, it doesn't serve a purpose really. But for the 90 percent of car owners who don't properly look after their cars, it serves a useful purpose.

Too many don't even look at the their tyres other than nct time so.that alone is saving lives.

It also takes a number of death traps permanently off the road every year whether it be due to brakes, suspension, rust etc.

In short, if.you.keep.your car right, it's a couple of hours out of your year. No big deal.

goochy

Laws are brought in for the people who don't do what they are supposed to do .

Padre_Pio

The concept is good, the execution is very poor.

It's a nuisance in its current form where the waiting time is up to 6 months, considering you can only book 3 months in advnace and it's illegal to drive without it. Bare in mind they were already in trouble back in 2019 when the ramps were unsafe and they were doing "partial tests"

The 55 euro charge for a mandatory test is also steep, seeing as there's no more than 15 mins work per car. The NCT shouldn't be used as a profit making exercise (even though I know the current shower aren't even making a profit)

Finally the test method itself is poor, and I could pick apart the many reasons why limits don't make sense. The test doesn't "prove" anything. There are many ways to put an unsafe car through the test, and even the nonsense you hear of people temporarily fitting someone's good tires to the car, or people who fail on a blown bulb swap in the bulb on the other side.

I also think it's made cars more disposable. Plenty of good, safe cars failed the NCT on some arbitrary issue, and the owners scrapped them instead of fixing them since few will buy a car out of NCT.

CoffeeImpala

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122098870#Comment_122098870

The wait time is now well under a month. I booked a test during April for mid May, there were a handful of slots in the 3 weeks after when I was doing the booking. Once you got a few weeks out there was a wide choice of slots.

Even when the ncts site was showing no availability for six months you could fill out a form to go on the priority list and get a test date in the next four weeks.

You can book whatever number of months in advance you like. You just need to ensure your test date is within 90 days prior to your renewal date to avoid resetting your certificate date.

GSBellew

On the wait time, I bought a car at auction on 9th April, got it home, checked & fully NCT'd less than 2 weeks after it landed at my door.

I do not really think the test times are always as bad as made out.

tabby aspreme

IMG_20240409_175719.jpg

I always thought the NCT testing was fairly thorough until I came across this subframe on a relatives car, the car passed the test last November and the rear wheels were falling off it in March

IMG_20240225_145353.jpg

colm reilly

Agreed what has been said by above posters ,but i think it time to take contract away from this lot and let garages [main dealer and indie ] do the tests ,While were at it does any folk know off how many new tecticnians coming into the business of servising all the elcty yokes on the road .

GSBellew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122098959#Comment_122098959

I can not agree with this, the MOT in the UK is still subject to massive abuse due to being carried out by garages, the same would happen here.

Imagine the scenario where the place that could sell you brakes, tyres etc do your test, huge scope for upselling, or if you are already a customer there is a issue of a conflict of interest, ignore an issue because they will get you on the service next time.

No thank you.

Buddy Bubs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122098938#Comment_122098938

I booked an NCT on the Monday bank holiday after Paddy's day for the Thursday of the next week for my mother.

It wasn't the closest centre to me but it was under 30 mins away.

Rock Steady Edy

I moved here from the UK 20 years ago, so used to the MOT system. Being independent of garages makes the NCT system have much more integrity.

I booked my NCT on-line a couple of weeks ago on the Tuesday and got a slot 2 days later - early in the morning is a good time to recheck availability.

kirving

No way should garages or main dealers be allowed to do it.

Plenty of places, not all it must be said, already quote and suggest totally unnecessary work - and you'd then be legally required to have it done. No way.

And on the other hand, I personally know someone who had their UK car MOT'd by a garage who had never seen the car. Payment on Revolut and a few pictures of the VIN.

The best part about the NCT is that it independent.

jack of all

The NCT is a bit of an inconvenience but I think it represents fairly good value for money, especially in the current climate and it gives a good snapshot in time of the current state of your vehicle. We have an 18 year old vehicle in our household and each year it passes its NCT is cause for celebration. No way I'd like to see the testing go in the hands of garages, while I trust my own independent garage I've had poor experiences in the past with others.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122098938#Comment_122098938

What center?

Flinty997

What center

Flinty997

Nct is better than nothing. But really has been a shambles how it's being managed..

matrim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122098870#Comment_122098870

When I had to do a light they checked both sides to make sure I didn't just swap them. Same for when I was missing a nut on a tyre. They checked all tyres to make sure I didn't take it off.

And if someone is taking the good tyres from a friend's car and swapping them back after the test. That is not the NCTs fault, that means they are a chancer and willing to put lives at risk to by driving in a car with worn tyres.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122099045#Comment_122099045

Just go to the website and check your nearest ones. I checked Deansgrange a few weeks ago for my Mother's car and there was a test the next day with lots of slots available over the next few weeks, plenty of times available at the other test centres that they showed.

Buddy Bubs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122099066#Comment_122099066

That must be very rare really though. Big effort to have a car available with same wheels and tyre setup, remove 8 wheels or tyres depending on what matches, either leave 1 car jacked up and refit 4 tyres (or refit 8 tyres), do the test, and then reverse the process.

Either with the help of a tyre centre most of whom would tell you to FXXX OFF or a DIY job

Id say it is massively rare to do this instead of just getting new tyres. But nothing surprises me I'm sure some tight wads would do it.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122099103#Comment_122099103

Most of the Jap imports have a spare set of wheels fitted for the test and they get swapped back over afterwards to use on the next car because usually the tyres don’t have E Marks. They are usually good brands like Dunlop Michelin or Pirelli with perfect thread but will still fail. There are very few dealers actually replacing these tyres.

blackbox

It's an inconvenience, but a worthwhile one. I am old enough to remember the state of cars before it's introduction.

Cuddlesworth

Was going to say that, I was young but the nct took a lot of horribly maintained cars off the road and forces the average driver to make some attempt at maintenance.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122099092#Comment_122099092

Things have changed so. Last year it was impossible to a get a slot.

tohaltuwi

This year my car (Toyota CH-R hybrid) is due its NCT July. It had 3 years free servicing, but that benefit had run out. I’m disabled and now find limes of NCT an extra chore, eg doing the little things I used to to help it pass I can no longer do. Trade-in value is good with Toyota hybrids so I decided in doing that and skip the NCT issue. But overall I approve of the concept of car checks as the number of defective bangers on the road used to be a major hazard to the safety of all and sundry.

ToweringPerformance

I just send mine in and if it fails i get it fixed.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122099156#Comment_122099156

It was never impossible. People were just lazy/misinformed. If you requested to be put on the cancellation list you would get a test date within a few weeks. It was repeated over and over on the main NCT thread.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122099176#Comment_122099176

Not big on hyperbole are we...

Took me 4 weeks on the cancellation list last year. Been using the cancellation list for years. One of our cars getting it's first NCT this week. That was one of the first bookings in years I've not done through the cancellation list

It's been torture for years getting slots. Last year or so they've been reserving the vast majority of slots for the cancellation list. It's has become the main list.

They they had to do this, and all the tricks people did for years, doing it at night, early morning, multiple attempts to find slots, not using your closest center etc. All point to a mismanaged system.

Lazy lol.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122099171#Comment_122099171

Yeah same. Car gets regular serviced on schedule regardless of NCT

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122099233#Comment_122099233

Yes, lazy.

People driving around with their NCT 8 months out of date because they couldn’t bother their arse to try get a sooner NCT date. They just booked a test months into the future and left it at that, and then complain at the NCT centre that they only got a 4 month certificate😂

Jonathan2712

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122098969#Comment_122098969

I lived in the UK for 30+ year and that's exactly what happens. No matter how well kept your car is, the MOT guys will always find something to recommend that you get done. Quickly the £35 MOT becomes a few hundred in recommended repairs. Also pretty much every town has at least one place where if you pay a little extra in cash, the car will defiantly pass the MOT!

Flinty997

Well if it's not enforced that reflects badly on the Garda and the state.

For decades they've had problems with resourcing and scheduling tests. If they're finally getting on top of it it's about b time.

I dunno why someone would imply there's never been problems with waiting lists. They were fined last year for it.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/nct-operator-applus-is-handed-3m-fine-for-failing-to-clear-long-testing-backlog/a1968263183.html#:~:text=The%20operator%20of%20the%20NCT,reduce%20waiting%20times%20for%20tests.