NCT is due but not called yet!

skywalker_208

Just realised my NCT was up in may... arent they supposed to send you a letter or something?

Our man in Havana

nope not any more they don't. Mine was out in Jan and I have yet to hear anything.

skywalker_208

Just seen this on the website:


"If you have recently received notification that your car is due for the NCT"

Doesnt look like you can book a test without your Booking ID number.... aw well.. guess ill just wait another while!

jhegarty

skywalker_208 wrote:

Just realised my NCT was up in may... arent they supposed to send you a letter or something?

mine was due in july last year, never got a letter (and I didn't bother doing it until October)


herself's car was due in January , got the letter in November....

blastman

I think they only notify you now when the car's first NCT falls due, otherwise it's up to you to book the test yourself at the appropriate time. You should only need the car reg. to book a test online.

Our man in Havana

blastman wrote:

I think they only notify you now when the car's first NCT falls due, otherwise it's up to you to book the test yourself at the appropriate time. You should only need the car reg. to book a test online.

and chassis number.

Shane Smith

no u don't need a booking ID number, just ring the hotline number with car reg and chassis number, the onus is still on you to have an up to date NCT disc so they know they don't have to chase u so they're fairly lax sometimes

SoBe

mine was due at end of march and i just got the letter yesterday to test it at the end of june.

BrianD

From the FAQ on www.nct.ie

6. Will I be notified when my test is due?
NCTS will contact owners of eligible motor vehicles (based on official vehicle registration records) in advance of the anniversary date of first registration of your car. You will be offered a provisional appointment for the test that must either be confirmed or rearranged by using our on-line booking service or calling our LoCall booking number. If you do not hear from NCTS and think your car may be eligible for the NCT, then please phone us on 1890 412 413 or you can check our on-line service by simply typing in your car registration number. Owners of cars that have been off the road or have not been taxed for over 3 months will not be notified and it will be necessary for the owner to contact NCTS directly themselves.

PLEASE NOTE: NCTS can issue your certificate up to six months early for a first time NCT and three months early for subsequent NCT tests. In other words, if your car was first registered in July and you are coming for your first NCT, you can have it tested up to 6 months early in January and your certificate will still expire on the anniversary of registration 2 years later. Your certificate is then valid for 2 years and 6 months.

skywalker_208

Shane Smith wrote:

chassis number

ok this may be a stupid question but.. where can i find this?

dahamsta

I received one of those letters a couple months before my NCT was due, would've been November/December I reckon. Wasn't the first NCT either.

adam

Our man in Havana

skywalker_208 wrote:

ok this may be a stupid question but.. where can i find this?

on the registration book or on a plate under the bonnet.:D

Shane Smith

ah to be honest, u don't even need the chassis number, they shud have it once u give car reg.

chassis number is too bleeding long anyway, they save you the bother of having to call it all out

ME: "yeah I have me chassssssiisssssss number here bud, its GB.....B.....eh.......one......six....eh.....two......"

NCT GUY ON PHONE: "yeah we have it"

Dilbert75

NCT was due on the wife's car on May 17 - went on their website during last week, entered the reg & chassis no and found that they had a provo booking for July 12th. Changed that to next Sunday morning - wish me luck. Just waiting till it gets dark so I can go out and align my headlights against the wall. (Well getting it done in a garage always failed and I aligned my last car's lights against the wall and passed! :eek: ).

Thumper Long

Dilbert75 wrote:

NCT was due on the wife's car on May 17 - went on their website during last week, entered the reg & chassis no and found that they had a provo booking for July 12th. Changed that to next Sunday morning - wish me luck. Just waiting till it gets dark so I can go out and align my headlights against the wall. (Well getting it done in a garage always failed and I aligned my last car's lights against the wall and passed! :eek: ).

any pointers on how to do this correctly, i think it is the only place my car would fail, and if i could do it myself before the nct next month it would be great, i have to admit i hate paying someone to do something so simple when i could probably do it myself and you also have that little added bonus of the self satisfaction

paddy

My NCT is also due, but when I enter the info at ncts.ie, chassis number& reg number it says the below
<WARNING: A vehicle corresponding to the information entered does not exist.>

(on a tax renewal form it says it was due 22/05/05) but I have heard nothing from NCT

Is this bad?

Our man in Havana

Mine was due in January and I heard nothing until last week with a date in July.

paddy

I'll leave them waiting so

Dilbert75

Thumper Long wrote:

any pointers on how to do this correctly, i think it is the only place my car would fail, and if i could do it myself before the nct next month it would be great, i have to admit i hate paying someone to do something so simple when i could probably do it myself and you also have that little added bonus of the self satisfaction

I've only done it when one light had previously tested ok. Just visually lined them up vertically. This car had one light pointing left last time - could be a bit trickier. The Haynes manual tells you (for information only) what each adjustment screw does.

Dilbert75

Well this time it didn't pay off - I seem to have managed to move it right (to correct the last fail description) but it turned out to be too high. Will get it aligned in a Ford dealer immediately before the retest and at least I'll have grounds for appeal if they fail it again. Killing thing is that I thought it looked a bit high to me when I was doing it but didn't want to drop it too much - the left/right is affected by vertical adjustments and I didn't want to make a hash of that. But I'm not going to risk the retest fee by trying it again myself.

Tally is four tests, two fail advisory (incl. one on this car after dealer alignment), one adjusted at home for pass and one adjusted at home for fail. Reasonable enough.

kdevitt

Thumper Long wrote:

any pointers on how to do this correctly,

I did this before a test and passed - you should park the car on a level surface, 25ft from a flat wall. Turn on your headlights - the height that the beam hits the wall at should be the same height as the actual headlight is on you car (i.e if your headlight is 3ft from the ground on the car, the light on the wall should be 3ft up). The light should also be the same distance apart as the headlights are.

Its really worth paying someone to do it though, bit of a fiddly job.

dahamsta

I have a retest tomorrow, failed on tread depth. Do they retest completely or just check the failed item?

adam

Duckjob

Once you present it within the retest period, they'll just retest the item(s) that failed, they won't do another full test.

AFAIK tyre tread depth is just a visual check and as such won't cost anything to recheck.

dahamsta

I don't think they do those free visual checks any more unfortunately. I hope you're right, but I think I'm gonna have to hand over that €27 or whatever whether I like it or not.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: The NCT is a complete con. Not the test itself, but the way it's been implemented on a commercial level. It's a state-sponsored scam.

adam

Dilbert75

Visual inspections are free. If checking the item that failed requires test equipment, such as headlamp alignment or emissions, then you pay the retest fee as long as its within one month of the original test. Otherwise its a full retest.

garyh3

Brought my car back from USA last year. Do I have to change the beam to point in the other direction or whats the deal on foreign cars with Irish plates?? to pass the NCT???

regards

Garyh3