NCT test fails the test.

gas_ticket

I had a vehicle left in for testing at an NCT centre not a million miles from Dublin 24. The car was as smoky as hell, with clouds of grey smoke when stationary. I've been embarrassed by the amount of smoke, and expected it to fail.

It passed!!!

It still smokes like anything, and woe betide anyone standing beside it when it starts up.

I e-mailed and phoned the head office for NCTs, and they said that the car "passed the test as presented on the day in question".

Did you know that loads of people take their diesel SUVs and vans to their friendly mechanic, have the fuel system adjusted so it runs weak, with low power but with little smoke. The NCT (or DOE test for commercials) is done, and passed, and the good old friendly mechanic tweaks the controls to give more power, and more smoke.

Two quick visits to the garage before and after the NCT / DOE and "away you go", suffocating the pedestrians and screwing the environment.

Now you know how so many vehicles belch out black diesel smoke, cancer-causing particles etc., and still pass the NCT. As long as the car passes the test for a couple of minutes every year or two, who gives a sh1t what it does to you and the environment the rest of the time? Nobody.

A major idea of the NCT was to improve the emissions standards of Irish vehicles. It does: For about twenty-four hours between visits to the mechanic who fiddles the controls.

Everyone in the motor trade knows this goes on, and so many drivers and mechanics are involved that it raises serious questions about our integrity, our contempt for the environment, and the reasoning why the NCT is done. It is another example of corrupt practice being accepted at all levels by the public, by politicians, and by businesses that benefit from it.

There's no chance your local politician, the AA or anyone else is going to raise a stink about this. (Sorry about the pun).

For my part, I'm going to get new injectors or whatever is needed to fix my smoky beast, and convert it to biodiesel.

Any ideas?

mike65

Check the green forum for biodiesel discussion, as for your test, yep I'm faimliar with that malarky. Did you take the airfilter out first? That helps pass the test too!

Mike.

gas_ticket

Of course taking the air filter out helps it run less smokey, but I want my car to be failed if it should be failed. The only thing that failed was the test itself. Why is a huge multinational running Ireland's NCT testing centres, pretending to make a big difference to our environment, when they're only making a big fat buck without producing the goods. They get rich, the motor trade gets rich, and the drivers think they're getting away with a bit of skulduggery, beating the system. The fools, the fools....

cir287

ah you're a great fella arent you.
if you are so damn concerned about the environment why the hell did you let your emissions get so bad in the first place ?

please dont bother replying because frankly I couldnt be bothered reading it.

mike65

Fair to say gas_ticket is not that minded to reply....

Síle28

Yep, I brought my 7 year old car for the NCT and was told it had a serious oil leak so it failed. I was surprised as no warning light on the dash, nor oil on the driveway to be seen, no problems driving it, nothing. Had it checked out, turns out there was a small and I mean small splash of dried in oil around the area where you refill it from last time I had topped it up and the 'expert' decided this meant it had a serious oil leak! I mean really! I pay for him to 'examine' my car and say that? So I cleaned off the dried drop of oil and of course it passed second time after paying almost the full whack again (it's few euro cheaper if you take it back as far as I remember). Money making racket....should be taken seriously as a safety check....

Tom Dunne

cir287 wrote: »

ah you're a great fella arent you.
if you are so damn concerned about the environment why the hell did you let your emissions get so bad in the first place ?

please dont bother replying because frankly I couldnt be bothered reading it.

You dug up a 4 year old thread for that? :rolleyes:

zagmund

As far as I remember in New Zealand garages are allowed self-certify cars. At first glance this would sound like a recipe for printing money, but the fact that they have to be licensed to do it and run the risk of losing their license (and so their rep with people in the local area) if they are found to be passing unworthy vehicles means it works well.

Somehow I don't think it would work here, what with lack of enforcement of the most basic of regulations. It actually would be a license to print even more money over here.

z

dsane1

Is there a case to be made to extend the nct to every 3years now in view of the "credit crunch " .Half joking saying it but every little bit helps .

corktina

surely there is more of a case for making the NCT annual?



and enforcing it

Capt'n Midnight

dsane1 wrote: »

Is there a case to be made to extend the nct to every 3years now in view of the "credit crunch " .Half joking saying it but every little bit helps .

No the government want to increase tax revenue not decrease it.

Danno

Environment! LOL! We are all so worried about the air and a bit of smoke from diesel in it. Get over it. I'd be looking elsewhere to be quite honest. How about below your feet. What poison is in the ground, where your drinking water comes from? Now THATS a worry.

cargo

Well the DoE must be reading Boards 'cause this contract was awarded to a new company for the next 10 year period from Jan 2010....

anyway you didn't have to go to such awarkard measures as having to adjust things to get your car through the NCT

shamwari

gas_ticket wrote: »

Did you know that loads of people take their diesel SUVs and vans to their friendly mechanic, have the fuel system adjusted so it runs weak, with low power but with little smoke. The NCT (or DOE test for commercials) is done, and passed, and the good old friendly mechanic tweaks the controls to give more power, and more smoke.

Two quick visits to the garage before and after the NCT / DOE and "away you go", suffocating the pedestrians and screwing the environment.

Ok this is an old thread but it is worthy of a few comments. On older diesel engines, it is possible to reduce the smoke produced during the emissions test by reducing the maximum fuel setting on the vehicles injection pump. It is a simple and well known trick and a car will pass its emissions test provided the engine reaches maximum (governer) speed during the test. There is nothing illegal about it per sé, but it is highly questionable to have an otherwise "smokey" vehicle pass its test by doing this.

On the more modern diesel engines (the TDi's, HDi's and so on) the maximum fueling on the injection pump is controlled electronically, and no amount of screwdriver tuning will doctor the cars performance to bodge the test. If the car is fundamentally smokey then remedial work will be required to fix it.

Funnily enough (and this is for the mechanics among you!) some of the emissions equipment fitted to the modern stuff can actually cause emission related problems. Nearly everything nowadays uses Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) to reduce NoX emissions. These EGR systems tend to foul up with oil and carbon deposits over time, then become clogged and impaired and result in a poor performing and smokey diesel engine. In other words, it creates the sort of problems they are supposed to solve.:mad:

Anyone with concerns over a diesels emissions prior to a test should have the car properly serviced with good quality oil and change the oil, air and fuel filters. A fuel additive can be added to the fuel to clean the injectors. Finally, take the car out on the motorway and give it a good hard run in the lower gears to clean any residual soot from the exhaust. This approach always works for me