The biggest legal scam ever.

To say i'am p***ed is an understatement.

Left car in for NCT  failed 'Advanced corrosion on the rear break lines'. Fair-enough.... Left the car in to get the break lines sorted. Rebooked test...... Failed again ....'Advanced corrosion on the rear break lines'. Demanded to see the problem they brought me into the test centre and to me the lines seemed fine. They had been sanded down and a rust proof paint put on them. So back to the garage told them the fail fault and they just couldnt believe it. Got new breaklines fitted (lines €29, total bill €612) went to rebook the test and was told I'am a day over my retest time so I have to apply for a complete new test at full cost. 

The thing is,

1) On the first fail they told me I had a month to get the car retested.

2) When it failed the second time they did not explain to me that the month still applies from the original test.

3) It took a week to get the car back into the NCT from the time I rang them to the test date.

4) The garage had the car for 5 days, petrol tank, drive shaft, exhaust all have to come off and break lines had to be made.

5)The reason it failed both tests was diagnosed from a visual inspection. No test equipment, no certified machinery to test the break lines just down to how the individual is feeling on the day.

The test person says the lines are a fail and the garage differs yet I down €1000 and the NCT want full payment to test all the other bits of the car that have passed already.

No provision is made for cars that have to have a couple of retests and the time and afford it takes to take time off work and time aloud for the garage to accept / repair your car. Who do they think they are.

   Visual inspection ..mearse

Painting up brake lines is a big no no, however cutting rotten sections out of brake and letting in new lines is fine.

I'd be going back to the garage demaning the price of a retest and why the paint-up, It was probably due to the fact that the e30 is a pain to do the brake lines in properly (droping the tank etc...)

As far as the NCT concerned Gardai just seem to be interested in tax and insurance, so why bother anymore considering the loophole were imported cars are exempt for the first two years post re-registering no matter how old they are ????  

I have to agree - my M3 failed on 'badly corroded' front brake-lines last year - so they were Replaced.

This year it failed on - ditto- rears. So they were All were Replaced - £400 - with the 2 other (car to axle - already had the 4 car to wheels fitted) braided hoses fitted.

Can I feel the difference? Yes I can

"Advanced corrosion" means replace, not clean up IMHO - go back to the garage.

Curley wrote: As far as the NCT concerned Gardai just seem to be interested in tax and insurance, so why bother anymore

Agreed, Gardaì aren't too pushed on this but come accident time then the first thing an insurance assessor will come looking for (actually the second thing after checking your tyre thread depth) is your NCT cert....

The NCT is, in principle, undoubtedly a good thing but inconsistencies in the system undermines people's confidence. Visual inspections will nearly inevitably create inconsistencies.

It galls me , however, that there are now so many cars (I forget the estimate but I was shocked) without NCT on our roads.

I think it is idiotic that the requirement of a valid NCT certificate for tax purposes seems to have disappeared. Also, the insurance companies could be more vigilant, if only in their own interest.

Did a walk of the carpark and the amout of cars with an expired NCT is impressive, Not all insurance companys demand an NCT, a good friend of mine stuffed his e30 into a transit and his insurance company had no issues paying out for the accident. Where the NCT comes into play is what the assessor going to value your car at. 

Wifes 106 is out of ticket since Jan and on second retest failed only on emissions ( all balls BTW!). This sheet will do untill Jan 09 and no doubt by then the car will pass emissions and fail on something else...

They had to give up on the NCT cert for tax purposes as NCT lads were prone to going on strike in the early years and we couldn't have a nation of lads going around with 530ds giving a valid excuse to a gardai why it was 6 months out of tax !!! 

I'm pro NCT but just very very disilusioned with it..... 

@Curley

Whats this about "... the loophole were imported cars are exempt for the first two years post re-registering no matter how old they are ????  "?

Don't have the specific ends and outs of it, (and this is where I get sad !!) but it was discussed on oireachtas report about two weeks ago. Enda Kenny brought it up and the only link i could muster up is below...  

http://www.carinsurance.com/news/content3005.aspx - http://www.carinsurance.com/news/content3005.aspx

Well,,, my appeal went off this morning. ????

We will see !!!!!

Curley wrote: Don't have the specific ends and outs of it, (and this is where I get sad !!) but it was discussed on oireachtas report about two weeks ago.

It may be related to how long someone can legally get away with driving a car here on foreign plates if they before they become "ordinarily resident" here (the reason you and I can't drive around in UK reg cars all the time is because we are ordinarily resident).

lesurely wrote: Well,,, my appeal went off this morning. ???? We will see !!!!!

Lets know how you get on

Good luck Les

Thanks(he he)

The appeal went against me, its all there in black and white they said,,, B****x. Now I've developed a hole in the exhaust sound like one of them there 'boy racers'  I'am afraid its decison time 'move on the money sponge' or let it absorbe more.