NCT during the 2020/21 Covid19 pandemic

Fogmatic · 24-04-2021 5:20pm

beauf wrote: »

I've done 3 ncts in lockdown now. I don't think the waiting room was closed any of those times. They've no speaker outside to facilitate that anyway. Probably depends on the centre.

Yes, I expect it does. My nearest one's quite small (no need for speakers - they can just wave/walk a few steps to whoever in their car park!).

I didn't find out what their Covid protocol is re where to wait or over-70s. The door into the little waiting room was propped open and the room empty when I was there, but then it was a great day to get some sun. And the person who checked me didn't seem in the mood for queries, so I just went outside to wait, with everyone else.

It didn't pass, but that was fairly likely anyway (though it's unpredictable, as there's not always any apparent consistency in it). Our mechanic's on course for a retest on Monday, so hopefully all good.

Enjoyment of the drive there was marred a bit by realising just before setting off that my driving licence was two days out of date, but that's resolved (and another topic).

baldbear · 11-05-2021 8:24am

My new NCT is up at the end of June and the next date I can get is August. Doh

WestWicklow1 · 11-05-2021 10:16am

baldbear wrote: »

My new NCT is up at the end of June and the next date I can get is August. Doh

You need to read back through a few recent posts to find a solution.

Fogmatic · 11-05-2021 5:01pm

WestWicklow1 wrote: »

You need to read back through a few recent posts to find a solution.

Page 57 should do it. (The Booking Request form mentioned is at the online booking site, for contacting them if we can't get an appointment).

FishOnABike · 11-05-2021 5:39pm

There's usually slots made available from cancellations last thing in the evening (10pm - 11pm ish) and first thing in the morning ( 8am - 9am ish) if you try a few of the nearest centres and can be flexible with the day and time there's a good chance an appointment will be available in the next few days. Just keep refreshing your browser and keep trying.

dobman88 · 21-05-2021 12:22pm

My NCT isn't up until August 1st but I just logged on to have a look at available dates after hearing about NCT backlog and the next available date anywhere near me is August 10th.

Does that sound right or should I wait until closer to the time and see if anything before the due date becomes available? Seems a bit mental the next date is over 2 months away.

Atlantic Dawn · 21-05-2021 12:37pm

dobman88 wrote: »

My NCT isn't up until August 1st but I just logged on to have a look at available dates after hearing about NCT backlog and the next available date anywhere near me is August 10th.

Does that sound right or should I wait until closer to the time and see if anything before the due date becomes available? Seems a bit mental the next date is over 2 months away.

Try tonight at 930pm when the cancelled bookings are returned to the booking system.

PsychoPete · 21-05-2021 1:06pm

I booked an nct on Monday and got a date for tomorrow, if you check at the right time you can a date sooner

dobman88 · 21-05-2021 1:17pm

Cheers lads. Nothing major since both our cars are not due until August 1st. Got a date for both cars 15th and 16th July in a centre an hour away so its not the end of the world. Mid August was the next date showing near us in Dublin/Meath though so seems to be location dependent.

Expecting both to pass first time so fingers crossed.

Fogmatic · 21-05-2021 2:24pm

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Try tonight at 930pm when the cancelled bookings are returned to the booking system.

If you keep trying that, it seems very likely you'll get a better date soon, but should you feel the need to book that August slot now just in case, it wouldn''t cause any confusion (the online system would automatically see the second booking as a re-booking).

dobman88 · 21-05-2021 5:00pm

Fogmatic wrote: »

If you keep trying that, it seems very likely you'll get a better date soon, but should you feel the need to book that August slot now just in case, it wouldn''t cause any confusion (the online system would automatically see the second booking as a re-booking).

Yep, sorted for 15th and 16th of July, cheers for the reply.

biko · 21-05-2021 5:10pm

https://www.ncts.ie/

COVID-19: Update: All NCT centres are fully operational. The NCT service is deemed an essential service and customers travelling for scheduled appointments are exempt from the travel restrictions.

Those who are more vulnerable are advised to contact the NCTS on 01 4135992 (Monday to Friday) to arrange an alternative appointment, free of any cancellation/rearrangement fees.

Re-tests must be conducted within 30 days of the initial test or a full test will need to be conducted again.

In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we are asking customers to pay by credit/debit card.

Please ensure you wear the correct clothing attire as you may have to wait outside the building while your vehicle is inspected.

Eire Go Brach · 27-05-2021 7:23am

So my NCT expired on the 18-5 with the extension. Got cancellation test on the 22-5. Failed miserably as dangerous. Corrosion underneath. Wanted us to tow it. Was driving fine by all accounts.

Got it repaired and got the car yesterday the 26-5. Retest booked for 31-5.

Where am I legally now in terms of driving? Am I insured what happens if guards stop me?
I will keep all the documents with me. Retest and Garage repairs receipt etc.

Atlantic Dawn · 27-05-2021 7:47am

Eire Go Brach wrote: »

So my NCT expired on the 18-5 with the extension. Got cancellation test on the 22-5. Failed miserably as dangerous. Corrosion underneath. Wanted us to tow it. Was driving fine by all accounts.

Got it repaired and got the car yesterday the 26-5. Retest booked for 31-5.

Where am I legally now in terms of driving? Am I insured what happens if guards stop me?
I will keep all the documents with me. Retest and Garage repairs receipt etc.

My interpretation would be it can't be driven on the road until reinspected if it was failed dangerous result

PsychoPete · 27-05-2021 7:55am

If the car is repaired and the retest is booked personally I'd drive on

greenspurs · 27-05-2021 8:30am

NCT test have been put out by 4 months - on some vehicles.

Got an email this morning to say the test was put off for 4 months.
I thought it might be dodgy, but it checks out on the nct website

https://www.ncts.ie/

Fogmatic · 27-05-2021 10:04am

greenspurs wrote: »

NCT test have been put out by 4 months - on some vehicles.

Got an email this morning to say the test was put off for 4 months.
I thought it might be dodgy, but it checks out on the nct website

https://www.ncts.ie/

Yes, the NCT deferrals are genuine, but just to say it doesn't necessarily follow that the email is. (Could be best to just go straight to the website from a browswer - some sophisticated fake websites have been doing the rounds).

L1011 · 04-06-2021 8:02am

I got a letter yesterday saying my date has been put off by four months.

Thing is, it's on a car that hasn't been used for a very long time and the original expiry was May 2020. Not 2021.

Its just back driving now, actually arrived back from the mechanic to find the letter. Not sure I'll trust that letter to protect me against points, so hopefully the system actually lets me book

Edit: booking engine tells me to go away as I'm not due (although you can always book anyway). Validity checker says I'm out! Definitely going to book something to have in the car

loveisdivine · 11-06-2021 10:50am

Does anyone know if a car will fail because of a 'day running light' bulb not working? We've replaced the bulb, but it turns out its actually something to do with the unit itself as its burning out the bulbs immediately. Our test is in less than 5 days and we're having trouble getting it replaced/fixed in time.

Atlantic Dawn · 11-06-2021 11:06am

loveisdivine wrote: »

Does anyone know if a car will fail because of a 'day running light' bulb not working? We've replaced the bulb, but it turns out its actually something to do with the unit itself as its burning out the bulbs immediately. Our test is in less than 5 days and we're having trouble getting it replaced/fixed in time.

It will depend on the particular car, some cars will use the DRL's as what would be referred to the 'parking lights' in older cars. If you have no additional parking lights that come on between going from no lights to normal driving lights then it will fail.

Eoinbmw · 11-06-2021 12:37pm

loveisdivine wrote: »

Does anyone know if a car will fail because of a 'day running light' bulb not working? We've replaced the bulb, but it turns out its actually something to do with the unit itself as its burning out the bulbs immediately. Our test is in less than 5 days and we're having trouble getting it replaced/fixed in time.

Can you turn them off in one of the cars menu setting? Might be worth a try?

dsmythy · 13-06-2021 4:35pm

If a diesel car goes in with the yellow engine management light on and a smoke test isn't done as a result, do they complete the rest of the test or end it there?

HillCloudHop · 16-06-2021 10:20pm

My NCT was extended and is now up on 4th August.

NCT website says I'm too early to book:

Warning
Warning! Your vehicle is not due! Please return at a later date to make a booking or select a date near your NCT due date.

I don't understand this as I'm within 90 days of the due date.

I can't get any slots at a centre near me until next month at the earliest when I look at availabilities.

Do I just go ahead and book anyways?

punisher5112 · 16-06-2021 10:28pm

HillCloudHop wrote: »

My NCT was extended and is now up on 4th August.

NCT website says I'm too early to book:

Warning
Warning! Your vehicle is not due! Please return at a later date to make a booking or select a date near your NCT due date.

I don't understand this as I'm within 90 days of the due date.

I can't get any slots at a centre near me until next month at the earliest when I look at availabilities.

Do I just go ahead and book anyways?

Yes you can still book, scroll down

HillCloudHop · 17-06-2021 9:04am

punisher5112 wrote: »

Yes you can still book, scroll down

Why bother replying if you didn't even read my post properly. Honestly?

Taeholic · 17-06-2021 9:23am

HillCloudHop wrote: »

My NCT was extended and is now up on 4th August.

NCT website says I'm too early to book:

Warning
Warning! Your vehicle is not due! Please return at a later date to make a booking or select a date near your NCT due date.

I don't understand this as I'm within 90 days of the due date.

I can't get any slots at a centre near me until next month at the earliest when I look at availabilities.

Do I just go ahead and book anyways?

The same happened to me last month, I checked again a few days later and it let me book then. There's very limited availability in most places it seems. If it won't let you book online maybe call them?

witnessmenow · 17-06-2021 4:51pm

HillCloudHop wrote: »

My NCT was extended and is now up on 4th August.

NCT website says I'm too early to book:

Warning
Warning! Your vehicle is not due! Please return at a later date to make a booking or select a date near your NCT due date.

I don't understand this as I'm within 90 days of the due date.

I can't get any slots at a centre near me until next month at the earliest when I look at availabilities.

Do I just go ahead and book anyways?

Had the exact same question a few months ago, I just booked it and everything was fine, it seems like a bug on the site

Country lad · 18-06-2021 5:38am

just phone them up and they give you a appointment

ofcork · 27-06-2021 12:25pm

Obviously the guards will be aware of the extension and wont be stopped over expired disc?

Fogmatic · 28-06-2021 2:20pm

ofcork wrote: »

Obviously the guards will be aware of the extension and wont be stopped over expired disc?

Correct - it's all very joined up (for a change!).

paddythere · 03-07-2021 2:59pm

Are the waiting lists for NCT long at the moment does anyone know? Haven't drove in years and about to buy a car with no NCT. Thanks

flower tattoo · 03-07-2021 3:53pm

paddythere wrote: »

Are the waiting lists for NCT long at the moment does anyone know? Haven't drove in years and about to buy a car with no NCT. Thanks

Just got an appointment there for middle of July in Kilkenny -

FishOnABike · 03-07-2021 4:40pm

paddythere wrote: »

Are the waiting lists for NCT long at the moment does anyone know? Haven't drove in years and about to buy a car with no NCT. Thanks

Are you going to trailer the car until it passes the NCT? Driving it home and driving it to the NCT centre could earn five penalty points a go, plus towing costs, impound costs and whatever fine the courts see fit. The day's when you would probably get away with the 'ah sure I only just bought it' or 'I'm on the way to the test centre' are long gone.

Unless you're getting the car at a serious discount (taking trailering it and potential pre-NCT repairs into account) I'd look for it to be NCTed before I'd buy it.

Level 42 · 04-07-2021 3:55pm

did all cars with a test date after mar 2020 get a 4 month extension on nct

cheers

zg3409 · 05-07-2021 3:47pm

Level 42 wrote: »

did all cars with a test date after mar 2020 get a 4 month extension on nct

cheers

No, check NCT due date with reg on website. There was 2 different extensions with different criteria, and best way to check here

https://www.ncts.ie/check-nct-due-date/

zg3409 · 15-07-2021 9:16am

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/nct-to-issue-new-certificates-to-34-000-drivers-following-error-1.4619747

The National Car Testing Service (NCTS) has identified a system error that led to the distribution of 34,000 certificates with incorrect expiry dates.

The service said in a statement on Tuesday that some customers were wrongly provided with a certificate to cover them for two years instead of one.

These certificates have been revoked and new NCT documents are being issued to all affected customers. This process should be completed by August, according to a spokeswoman.

The computer error, which has affected some documents issued over the past 12 months, arose when the expiry dates for test cover was extended in 2020 due to the pandemic. The mistake has affected about 34,000 cars out of a total of 1.3 million tested since the service resumed in June 2020.

This issue relates only to vehicles that were over 10 years old at the time of their last test

corcaigh07 · 29-07-2021 1:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117612160#Comment_117612160

I got this letter. The car first registered in June 2011 (2011 Passat) and the test was back in March this year.

My car wasn't quite 10 years old when it was tested and it was tested late in the first place (compared to original due date) due to the 4 month extension.

Do I have grounds to complain here?

Dr_Colossus · 31-07-2021 1:51pm

The wait times are beyond ridiculous. My test is up on 8th Sep and have been checking the NCST website for this past week for a suitable time, next available date for my usual centre (NorthPoint) is 18th Oct. NorthPoint is a large test centre with about 12-14 lanes available so how can there be nearly 12 weeks lead time.

It used to be the case that if they couldn't offer you a test slot withing 4 weeks they were required to give you a free test, is that still the case? I've rang them before in previous years looking for a slot when one wasn't available online and they tried fobbing me off saying they couldn't keep/take my details due to GDPR to call me when a slot became available.

tombrown · 03-08-2021 7:21am

My NCT is due 24 August (it was exxtended from Feburary, and I completely forgot without any reminders).

The earliest test I can get is Sept 11th, which I have booked. I know technically it is my responsibility to ensure it is covered, but, if stopped, will the Garda accept that I have a test date, even if it is not in time?

FishOnABike · 03-08-2021 9:28am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117697892#Comment_117697892

It depends, maybe maybe not. I would keep checking the booking site early in the morning and late in the evening for cancellations making slots available and look at test centres outside the usual / nearest one.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40019831.html

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/increase-in-drivers-caught-without-nct-last-year-1011967.html

Your car can be seized / towed on the spot. It's an automatic 3 penalty points and €60 euro fine but can be 5 penalty points and up to €2500 fine or three months in prison on conviction. Unlikely on a first offense but it sets a benchmark for scale of penalties. You would also want to check the terms of your insurance policy, many now have a valid NCT as a condition of cover.

GrabTheCREAM · 05-08-2021 9:28pm

Lads, can anyone answer this for me. Have an Audi A5 2008, came with front fogs but recently changed to a new bumper that doesn’t have front fogs (had them removed basically)

Any clue whether this would fail the NCT? I heard mixed things about them testing for front fogs so have been confused

Saw a car on donedeal with a similar modification that said he passed in March of this year but still unsure

DaveyDave · 08-08-2021 10:57am

NCT is due in October but I wanted to book it a bit earlier to see if anything needed to be fixed in the next service. Booked in Naas next Thursday because everything else is late October/November!

barneygumble99 · 08-08-2021 4:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117712587#Comment_117712587

Remove the switch and it’ll pass

L1011 · 19-08-2021 9:34pm

Watched the tester looking around the footwell with a torch and eventually giving up.

Cert issued as Pass Advisory - OBD comms failure. Couldn't find the port! Its inside the fusebox and needs an allen key to open as far as I remember.

DaveyDave · 19-08-2021 11:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117778083#Comment_117778083

The chap looked very confused when doing my Golf, not sure what the issue was. Also left the steering wheel absolutely filthy which is annoying as I cleared out gloves, wipes etc as they say to clear all Covid bits so had nothing to clean it with when I was leaving, typical I spent ages cleaning the inside of the car last week.

josip · 09-09-2021 12:02am

More of a general NCT question than Covid-related.

Our NCT is on the 13th and the dash info is saying an oil change is due (not a warning light, just a text reminder when the key is put in the ignition)

The car service isn't until the 22nd however. Will I get failed because of the info message?

zg3409 · 09-09-2021 1:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117866097#Comment_117866097

No

mikefromcork · 22-10-2021 1:38pm

My boot keeps popping open every time I unlock the doors. It needs a new switch, which won't be done before my NCT appointment. Will this cause a failure? If so, will it be a full re-test?

Prefect_1998 · 29-10-2021 9:36am

quick question,

my date ont he NCT site is 13th of Jan '22

i want to try and do it early and get the 2 years + 3 months cert, is this still possible ?

barneygumble99 · 29-10-2021 8:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118088692#Comment_118088692

Yes, anytime from now onward and you’ll get until jan 23 or 24 depending how old your car is.

NCT during the 2020/21 Covid19 pandemic

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