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NCT major fail on dip beam nearside

Yurple

Hi all,

Have a major fail with NCT for dip beam on nearside.

I was told when leaving it is the passenger side that is not aligned correctly but when I look at it at home it looks fine to me and matches the driver side?

Does anybody know what to do in this case? I looked up online how to change the alignment and it is very simple but not sure what to set them to …

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elperello

Take it to place that has beam setter equipment and let them do it.

Get a receipt.

Whocare

There a joke nct had car failed nct headlight alignment driver side took the garage he put on the Machine couldn't find anything wrong exactly word it perfectly but he turned them down a small bit but there was no need justmake sure it will pass.didn't even charge as he said your being robbery by nct.

Yurple

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118870371#Comment_118870371

thanks for the reply! So i actually have to bring it to a garage and get this done? Damn... was hoping to do it myself to avoid having to pay a lot of money for something so stupid/simple. What you mean about get a receipt?? :)

Yurple

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118870460#Comment_118870460

Okay so this seems like other people have the same issue with me... I also cannot find anything wrong with the alignment... I may just adjust them slightly myself and go back but sadly I have to pay for a retest...

colm_mcm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118870963#Comment_118870963

when you say you can’t find anything wrong with the alignment, what does that mean?

Yurple

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118871039#Comment_118871039

Sorry I should have clarified... I do not know exactly what the issue is but from what I can tell and using a measuring tape to compare both the correct side (driver) and the one with the major fault (passenger) I cannot find any difference.

PsychoPete

Headlight alignment is cheap, just take it to a garage and get it checked

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118870460#Comment_118870460

Similar situation myself. When I got them checked they were fine but the guy adjusted them down slightly to pass the test. Lights are brutal now, they are so low they provide a very short beam and are actually dangerous. Thinking of raising them slightly again but then could possibly run into same problem at next test

Toyotafanboi

NCT's are very finicky for headlight alignment but in fairness they don't make it a secret. It's on the booking letter to get them focused before the test.

I think it's no harm either really, the only issue with it is that it's a booked appointment for an in lane re-test at €28 which is a ballache. If they agreed to retest headlight alignments FOC without an appointment it would be a different story. The retest time in lane would be minimal.

Yurple

Ok thanks for the responses everyone. I have contacted a garage hoping to be booked in on Monday !

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118871500#Comment_118871500

It's nuisance but understandable because they can't check it without equipment.

On the plus side I've had them just look out the office window to see a replaced bulb is working.

If only every fail was as simple 🙂.

Whocare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118871280#Comment_118871280

Same as myself my light without doubt are dangerous now .

zg3409

You can't check alignment without right equipment. The alignment of the left side is not the same as the right side. As a rough guide you can park a certain distance from a wall and compare beam pattern to similar car in similar spot.

Often what happens is headlight bulb blows, headlight bulb is replaced but it is not fitted exactly correctly and is lose in holder or upside down etc. Have you or garage replaced bulb since last NCT? Parking facing a wall it can be easy seen if beam is not clear and straight. You may need to cover other headlight with a towel for example.

In the past I paid 15 euro for beam alignment but that was 20 years ago so probably more now. What can also happen is reflective coating on headlight can rust etc meaning light can't be set right and cars have adjustable settings and these can fail too. If you have ever been dazzled by oncoming traffic on a dark road you know why it's important to check. Sometimes certain lanes in the NCT can be slightly off.

It's worth paying a professional and if you have a go you may fail again and you may break some plastic part.

Yurple

Yeah garage i contacted said shouldnt take more than 20 or 30 mins and cost maximum of 35 Euro... not bad in my eyes to make sure it is correctly done.

When I was driving today in underground parking it looks like my passenger side is pointing too far down to the ground so maybe that's what the fail is. Instead of blinding others I am giving myself less visibility.

The only issue is that I need to get my retest booked in and done before the 16th of April but I'm going in for hernia surgery tomorrow.... so hopefully I can walk/drive a few days after that to get the garage and NCT sorted.

elperello

It should be ok after they set the beams correctly.

I see I missed where you asked about receipt. It's just in case they fail you again and you have to go back to garage.

By the way if you are not up to it anyone can present the car for NCT, they just need a licence for ID. Also the garage won't care who brings it in to them either.

Good luck with it, take care.

Wanderer78

apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but i failed on dip beam today, wont focus apparently, two garages said theyre starting to see this more and more, one checked bulb, everything fine, according to them, alignment only thing to do now. was nearly always in favor of testing, but this really is taking the p1ss!

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120528859#Comment_120528859

Had same thing myself today with a car that has been tested multiple times and never an issue with lights. When I expressed surprise at this, tester responded fairly sharply saying sure how long since last tested it could happen in the morning.

Until 3 years ago I've never had this problem with any car and now it's happened with 3 different cars in 3 years. Maybe better testing standards to blame?

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120749667#Comment_120749667

I think they got new headlight testing equipment a few years ago

spiggotpaddy

I had the same, but I'd had them checked and aligned the day before the test. So I went back to the garage that did them, they rechecked immediately and said they're perfect. Back to the test centre and it passed. Its one big fcuking con.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120751426#Comment_120751426

Have to admit I'm finding it difficult not to think this way also. First time no problem, second time fecking annnoying, third time what the hell, especially when the 3 cars were perfect otherwise

travist

Had this also.. first time last year.. never an issue before...

JIdontknow

Has the same issue myself. Got them aligned before the test and then the nct tester said one of them was too low… went back to the place who aligned them and they said they are exactly where they should be, and that he could raise the one that was too low but no guarantee as it might be above the limit. He did and it passed…

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120752228#Comment_120752228

With the last 2 cars the guy said yea they could be considered marginally high but he wouldn't have adjusted them except that they failed the NCT. However, I find the lights very poor since in both cars with the dipped beam range very short, almost uncomfortably so tbh

PsychoPete

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120752786#Comment_120752786

Is the headlight adjuster switch at 0 ? My A6 had a broken level sensor causing the lights to be awful but still passed the test

macraignil

Had this fail issue myself as well the last three tests and at least twice I had said it to the garage a short time beforehand to check the lights while they were doing some other maintenance work and it still failed and needed another adjustment before the retest gave a pass. Beginning to think it's a con job by the NCT testers to get another 28euro tax on people having to drive an older car.

PsychoPete

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120756210#Comment_120756210

They fitted new equipment for testing the headlights, before testers could lean down on the car if the beam was a tad high to get it passed but can't anymore. Apparently the new equipment wasn't calibrated properly so a tester told me

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120756210#Comment_120756210

New cars have headlights too😂

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120756156#Comment_120756156

Yes it's always on zero

Guy who adjusted my lights for 1st 2 card said mechanism was fine. As I said he said he would not have adjusted the lights on either car had they not failed the NCT. Funny thing is the 3rd car was adjusted today and the guy said it was the driver side and not the passenger side that was misaligned.

Valfc5

I failed NCT on dipped lights the car is 2013. Are they are picking on older cars. Looks like you are all saying bring it to a garage. There are so many cars on the road with one working headlight. It's a con. Thanks to everyone for their advice

blackbox

Considering the number of cars I see on the roads with misaligned headlamps, it is no surprise that the NCT is finding lots of fails.