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What's missing from the NCT?

2»

Comments

  • #32
    Nissan doctor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,223 ✭✭✭Nissan doctor


    Cosmo K wrote: »
    I'm working ten years with NCTS, and I can assure you, what your guy is saying, is complete and utter BS!

    There is no definitely no quoata, we have to achieve! Have you any idea, how many unannounced inspections the AA does every month?

    I really appreciate, that you know a lot about a cars, but there is definitely no quota system within the NCT.

    Things I would change;

    As already mentioned, brake fluid. Hazard light switches, its amazing how many cars have no working hazards. Trailer plugs, a lot of trailer plugs are not wired properly or not wired at all. Start testing trailers, just basic stuff, lights and tyres for a start.

    Have to go back to work, till then....


    He was a supervisor in one of the centers(can't remember which one).

    I'll get the exact details of what he was talking about tomorrow.


  • #33
    mb1725
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,381 ✭✭✭mb1725


    Test motorbikes! ;)


  • #34
    El Guapo!
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,439 ✭✭✭✭El Guapo!


    LLU wrote: »
    I actually did fail once for having 'contaminated brake fluid'. I don't know how they established that, I'm guessing they just based it on the colour. The car was quite old and I didnt know the history of its brake fluid so I was happy enough to have this pointed out.

    Yeah the fluid was probably manky so that's how they noticed it. Other than that they don't do any test on it.

    Brake fliud should be changed generally every 2 years but it's often something thats overlooked during routine servicing.


  • #35
    Syllabus
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 573 ✭✭✭Syllabus


    Nissan doctor wrote: »
    I don't have a link but I currently work with an ex NCT guy.

    They have monthly pass/fail % figures they have to stay within. This inevitably leads to cars being passed/failed towards the end of the month in order to meet % targets rather then soley on actual condition to keep within targets.


    i mentioned this in a diff thread regarding headlight alignment fails and was basically told by one poster that any faith or respect they had held in me before was gone by the wayside as they believed i was spoofing to cover my arse


  • #36
    Nissan doctor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,223 ✭✭✭Nissan doctor


    Syllabus wrote: »
    i mentioned this in a diff thread regarding headlight alignment fails and was basically told by one poster that any faith or respect they had held in me before was gone by the wayside as they believed i was spoofing to cover my arse


    I'll say no more until I get the exact info.



    As another point, we are told that the NCT is all about safety, not making money. So why then is the 1 year test for cars over ten years old the same price as the 2 year test for cars under?

    The 1 year test should be half the price of the 2 year test. That way people might be more assured that its about more regular checking of the safety of older cars, as opposed to making more money off older cars!:rolleyes:


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  • #37
    dr.fuzzenstein
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,620 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    Dean09 wrote: »
    Yeah the fluid was probably manky so that's how they noticed it. Other than that they don't do any test on it.

    Brake fliud should be changed generally every 2 years but it's often something thats overlooked during routine servicing.

    Things that never get changed:
    Brake fluid, coolant, gear box oil, diff oil, pollen filter, aircon gas and power steering fluid amongst others.
    It's like Irish garages have a fear and loathing when it comes to changing these things.
    Every garage I ever asked to do any of the above gave the same reply. Never needs changing. They just want to do oil, oil filter, done, that'll be several hundred Euro please.
    Am I glad I do my own servicing.
    Now, you can't ask the NCT to check if these things get changed regularly (wouldn't be possible to know when it was changed), but maybe people should be told that all these fluids do need to be looked at/changed every now and then.


  • #38
    yourpics
    Closed Accounts Posts: 904 ✭✭✭yourpics


    Nissan doctor wrote: »
    As another point, we are told that the NCT is all about safety, not making money. So why then is the 1 year test for cars over ten years old the same price as the 2 year test for cars under?

    The 1 year test should be half the price of the 2 year test. That way people might be more assured that its about more regular checking of the safety of older cars, as opposed to making more money off older cars!:rolleyes:

    Excellent point. They say that annual testing for cars 10 years or older is due to 46% of serious accidents involving cars 10 years or older. But this also means that the majority of accidents (54%) are caused by cars 10 years or newer. Therefore newer cars should be subject to annual testing. This proves it is a revenue generating exercise and not logical thinking.


  • #39
    dr.fuzzenstein
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,620 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    yourpics wrote: »
    Excellent point. They say that annual testing for cars 10 years or older is due to 46% of serious accidents involving cars 10 years or older. But this also means that the majority of accidents (54%) are caused by cars 10 years or newer. Therefore newer cars should be subject to annual testing. This proves it is a revenue generating exercise and not logical thinking.

    I wonder how that correlates to the age of the driver, since newly qualified and (mostly) younger drivers tend to buy old bangers?
    Actual mechanical failure does not contribute in a massive way to accidents, will need to dig this out, but too late right now.
    It's the same scam as giving 5 points for not having an NCT.
    A car should have an NCT, but this is silly.


  • #40
    Cedrus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,429 ✭✭✭Cedrus


    yourpics wrote: »
    Excellent point. They say that annual testing for cars 10 years or older is due to 46% of serious accidents involving cars 10 years or older. But this also means that the majority of accidents (54%) are caused by cars 10 years or newer. Therefore newer cars should be subject to annual testing. This proves it is a revenue generating exercise and not logical thinking.

    Logical thinking would include an adjustment to make allowance for the smaller number of cars over ten years old (Average was 7.4 years last year according to Cartell). Scrappages (Planned and Accidental) mean that a number of cars much smaller than half are involved in nearly half of the accidents, therefore posing a higher risk.


  • #41
    CiniO
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,069 ✭✭✭✭CiniO


    Nissan doctor wrote: »
    I'll say no more until I get the exact info.



    As another point, we are told that the NCT is all about safety, not making money. So why then is the 1 year test for cars over ten years old the same price as the 2 year test for cars under?

    The 1 year test should be half the price of the 2 year test. That way people might be more assured that its about more regular checking of the safety of older cars, as opposed to making more money off older cars!:rolleyes:

    My understanding would be that this €55 is just a cost of doing the test, so no matter how often you are forced to do it, you must pay it, to cover expanses of test centre.

    However we all know that's far from being true.


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  • #42
    Nissan doctor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,223 ✭✭✭Nissan doctor


    Cosmo K wrote: »
    I'm working ten years with NCTS, and I can assure you, what your guy is saying, is complete and utter BS!

    There is no definitely no quoata, we have to achieve! Have you any idea, how many unannounced inspections the AA does every month?

    I really appreciate, that you know a lot about a cars, but there is definitely no quota system within the NCT.

    Things I would change;

    As already mentioned, brake fluid. Hazard light switches, its amazing how many cars have no working hazards. Trailer plugs, a lot of trailer plugs are not wired properly or not wired at all. Start testing trailers, just basic stuff, lights and tyres for a start.

    Have to go back to work, till then....




    I mentioned your post to the guy today, he said simply, ask the poster why then if a NCTS tester is passing too many cars or failing too many cars they a called into the managment office to explain their figures?

    This could only lead to testers watching how many cars they pass/fail based on not igniting the supisions of managment rather then soley on condition.


  • #43
    Chimaera
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,652 ✭✭✭Chimaera


    Proper emissions testing for diesel cars would be good. A smoke test is a very crude measurement of an engine's performance. CO, CO2 and HC would give a much better indication of how an engine is running.

    Regarding the brake fluid thing: It's extremely difficult to properly seal a system agains hygroscopic materials. I work with such materials in my research and I've seen moisture get pulled in past 2 tightly closed screw caps over a period of a few months. It's not unreasonable that over a few years moisture would get into the brakes on a car.

    I changed the brake fluid in my car over the weekend, about 3 years since the last change and there was a small but noticable improvement in braking afterwards. Better pedal feel and better initial bite on the brakes.


  • #44
    Cosmo K
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 985 ✭✭✭Cosmo K


    Nissan doctor wrote: »
    I mentioned your post to the guy today, he said simply, ask the poster why then if a NCTS tester is passing too many cars or failing too many cars they a called into the managment office to explain their figures?

    This could only lead to testers watching how many cars they pass/fail based on not igniting the supisions of managment rather then soley on condition.[/QUOTE
    ]

    And thats your so called quota? One could simply call it quality control. Look, I'm not saying that the NCT is a 100% perfect system, there is definitely room for improvement. And I agree with a lot that has been said here, annual tests for all cars, regardless of age, for example.

    I'm a Supervisor for the last 5 years, and I never ever, told one of my guys....listen, your numbers are a bit low, you gotta fail a few more cars...... I don't know, when your source worked for the NCT (why did he leave, or was he fired?), but what he is saying simply isn't the case.

    Not s week goes by nowadays without an unannounced audit by either the AA or one of our internal auditors. And trust me, they are very thorough, the internal auditors and the guys from the AA.

    Any more questions about the NCT, just ask me.....


  • #45
    Nissan doctor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,223 ✭✭✭Nissan doctor


    He gave me more to reply with but TBH, I'm not arsed relaying an arguement between you an him, I couldn't care less if there is a quota(actual or implied) or not.

    As for why he left. He said it was a handy job with decent money, but felt he was wasting his time spent in collage and wanted to get back into actually repairing cars.

    My only experience is spending years seeing so many cars fail the NCT on the most far fetched interpretations of the NCT manual while other pass with glaringly obvious faults.


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