Avoiding forking out for a pre-NCT before taking the test – the pros and the cons

Published on 15 February, 2023

Overview

Motorists are being blamed for contributing to the backlog of NCT tests – with some already facing months of a wait for a slot.

The company overseeing the NCT service says motorists are contributing to the chaos by waiting for their test to uncover and identify the faults and then having them fixed by their garage before returning for a re-test.

In effect it doubles the volume of testing for thousands of car owners at a time of staff scarcity.

So here are key reasons why you should have your car prepared before going to the test centre – and reasons to let the NCT do the detective work for you so your garage can focus on specific repairs.

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*With a car well-prepared by your garage or mechanic, you stand a substantially better chance of passing first time around and thereby saving yourself a re-test fee and the associated hassle.

*There may be insurance issues if your car is involved in an accident and found to be unroadworthy while you wait for the test though this remains a grey area.

*As mentioned,  waiting for the NCT to identify faults means, ultimately, that somebody else is shunted that bit farther down the line  because you are effectively taking up an extra slot with the re-test. The knock-on effect means more people are waiting longer. It is a vici ous circle. 

*The garage may pick up on something that is potentially hazardous that may avert an accident while you wait for the test.
Of course, you should never let your car deteriorate so much,  but as surveys and events have shown,  it happens all too often. People carry on regardless, especially when it comes to tyres and brakes.

*Don’t forget that the NCT reflects really only the day of the test; it’s a sort of one-off snapshot. Your car needs proper maintenance all year round.

*With parts and labour costs sky high, your bill could be even more substantial if you don’t attend to matters now.

*Against all that, however, there is the attraction of the test specifically finding faults for you and saving on potentially unnecessary and costly detection time by your garage.

*Letting the NCT do the work could more than outweigh the cost of a re-test, given the hourly rates charged by some garages.

But, on balance it seems to make more and safer sense to have your car prepared for the NCT by your garage or mechanic.

 Why waste money on using the first test to play the discovery role when you will have to engage technical staff to put things right anyway? The most important thing is to keep your car roadworthy at all times.

Meantime the NCTS claim they are testing record volumes of cars and are still on course to achieve a significant improvement in waiting times in the second quarter of the year with a full return to normality ’ by June.

At a recent Joint Oireachtas committee meeting, NCTS said they are struggling to recruit inspectors.

Latest figures show there are now 610 vehicle inspectors –  the largest number in the history of the NCTS.

Nonetheless people are complaining about how long they are having to wait to get a test. Against that backdrop, they need to make sure their car remains safe by having it assessed by a garage. A lot can go wrong in two or three months, especially with an old car.

Take a seat and check out what Mercedes GLC offers

Review: Citroën’s C5 X is an unconventional family car that’s well-priced, practical and economical