Irish Mini Owners Club

I've just bought a 88 mini that hasn't been nct for a number of years I'm worried that it going cost a fortune to get a nct for it is there any way around this ??

No.

Just to let mini owners know that the guards will now have nct details on the patrol cars with the anpr systems so it will flag if you drive by. It is 5 penalty points in Ireland for no nct, worse out of all the points systems. Remember to book it in and carry the confirmation with you. You risk getting you car seized too

The NCT came in in 2000 if memory serves me correct so unless its been off the road for more than 15 years chances are it passed an NCT at some stage so mightn't be to bad. Depending on weather it was stored indoor or out ,rust may be an issue. Poke the sills and floors hard and see if any holes appear,if they do than poke harder to see the extent of the problem, no point in hidding the problem if you want to get an accurate quote to fix it. Any mini that has laid up a while will usually have seized some part of the brakes (rear cylinders or adjusters) so examine all brakes. You won't have to do the strict emmision test so unless the engine is smoky you should be ok . Old oil seals go hard so you will proberbly have leaks on the gear select and diff output seals, these can be done in the car at the same time as checking the balljoints .Rocker cover gaskets also harden with age and leak. Service the engine ,check lights and tires ,wash the mini and put it in for the test and let them tell you what else might need doing.
This is just a guide based on experiance of what any mini lying up for a few years may require.

spud1979 wrote:Just to let mini owners know that the guards will now have nct details on the patrol cars with the anpr systems so it will flag if you drive by. It is 5 penalty points in Ireland for no nct, worse out of all the points systems. Remember to book it in and carry the confirmation with you. You risk getting you car seized too

It's now 3 points for not having a valid NCT.
It was 5 points previously, but that could only be issued by a Judge after you were summonsed by a Guard. The Guard himself could not issue any points for lack of an NCT........but now they can.

Well the mini is gone off to be welded now 2 new sills and door steps anyone out there no if it would pass a nct with a oil leak or should I sort it first

Really depends on the severity of the leak and the mood of the Tester (a lot of them will forgive a Mini for a small oil leak, it's purely up to them if it fails on this or not).
If it's something easy enough such as a gearchange seal then I'd do it pre test....if not and it's not literally dripping out a litre a minute I'd chance it.

Think I'll go tru the car before I send it up it's not a massive leak but it's messy under the car with oil

A good powerwash beforehand is always a good idea

Good powerwash down the back of the engine and gearbox and an oil change, clean oil is harder to spot.

Just give the car a good smart looking over and sort any obvious things that it may fail on, i.e lights, wipers, tyres. Then just run it through and they will give you a list of things to fix. Unless it passes first time that is