Just put my car through its' annual NCT ( Irish MOT ) and she sailed through! Woo hoo! I know here in Ireland some people complain about annual inspections, and the apparently "minor" issues that a car will be failed for.

Like a brake imbalance, or poor performance. A missing light, slack handbrake, suspension issues, lack of tyre thread, etc. etc.

But the problem is that many people regard their car as being fine as long as it starts in the mornings! And so many "minor issues" would be left unattended unless they were compelled to correct them. When I think back to the time before we had such mandatory testing, the number of bangers that graced our roads was unreal. It's an incentive, if needed, to look after your pride and joy.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my happiness.

 

Congrats on the pass.

I remember fondly my annual visits to Ireland when I was a kid (40+ years ago!). I will never forget some of the cars that my uncle used to drive. He would always have a brick in the boot in case he needed to park on a hill. I remember a Ford Anglia with a big piece of plywood the length of the drivers footwell as the floor was so rotten it wouldn't support the drivers seat! It was a case of necessity for him (and I guess many others) with minimal funds and a large family and 5 miles to the nearest village.

But you're right, legislation (and I suppose a general uplift in the Irish economy) has thankfully put a stop to that kind of thing.

 

Congrats on the pass and thanx for a new add to my wordsmith dictionary. Here in Vespuccia, what you call 'bangers' are referred to as 'hoopties'. In these parts 'bangers' are gang members and many bangers do indeed drive hoopties.

 

Congratulations.

You almost sound surprised but none of us doubted it would pass.

Graham

 

I saw something on youtube that could be described as a 'banger'....

Something like this?

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but you never can tell! I think doing your own maintenance means that you get to know your car better than anyone else ever could, professionals included. You can only prepare as best you can and ensure that all the basics are as they should be. The NCT testers provide a checklist of the basic requirements, but outside of that you have co2 emissions, lambda readings etc. etc.

Many garages here offer "pre NCT inspections" at a basic knock down cost but usually "find" a load of things "that need to be done". The best approach seems to be to prepare the car as best you can, put it through and if it fails you see exactly why. So you know what exactly needs to be addressed. At €55 it's the cheapest diagnosis you'll get and then a retest is only €28 if need be. Anyway, that's me done for another year, as cars over ten years old are tested annually, otherwise it's every two years.

Now I want to start collecting the various bushes that go into the rear suspension, A frame, trailing arms etc. etc. And it's time to start thinking about replacing the cooling hoses, still a few marks on the bodywork, clean up the engine bay..................................

 

Great job on keeping your car running and passing your test. I cant believe everybody doesnt keep there cars running great and safe. Enjoy your cruise....

 

I am happy for you , what I never see why these inspections in such liberal countries are only good for 1 year
For ins: German's TUV 2 years valid .
If it's all money related then they could double what you pay for annual inspection ordeal to compensate 1 year extra

 

However liberal or not Ireland may be, the rules regarding car testing are fair enough in my opinion. A year between test can represent an average of 10,000 miles, which is a lot of opportunities for things to go wrong. So, tyre thread, brake pads, brake hoses etc. may pass, with an "advisory" meaning that they pass at the moment, but will need attention before long, is a good thing and should be taken seriously.

As stated previously, it has removed a huge amount of potential death traps from our roads, which is fine by me!