Irish Mini Owners Club

The 1980 Mini 1000 was in for it's NCT today. It failed on a couple of minor things:

Brake lights - worked 9 times out of 10 (strange one - probably just needs contacts cleaned up somewhere)
Bushes on drivers side front tie bar need to be replaced - claimed they couldn't do the side slip test on the front
Minor oil leak - hardly noticeable, from somewhere at the front

Brakes, lights, emissions everything else fine. Not bad for a 28 year old car

alot better than mine that was put in yesterday.. this was the flame red 1989

horn not working.. (must be bad earth or fuse)
main beam warning light on dash does not come on
my brake lights were sticking on the way in (lol)
front subframe bushes mountings need replacing.
steering rack gaiter frayed (?)
one wheel bearing gone..
n he said the handbrake was ridiculously pointless to have as it was that weak...

bit of work for me to do now...

Nothing too catastrophic there lads.

Dave,

It's that little car's last NCT. Two more years and it will be exempt.

Billy

Nice one Billy regard's jon

Cheers Billy, all the more reason to get it through with flying colours

could be alot worse lads, what i cant understand why ye insult these poor minis to these test, im driving minis a long time and never nct'ed a mini and further more wont ever insult my daily driver to such a test, it goes great without it and never have been asked why i dont have it nct'ed. minis are to be enjoyed and driven not for wondering will it pass the next nct test.

I quite enjoy NCT-ing my mini -- it's great to see it passing when much newer cars often fail. It's more or less passed twice (the second time it needed a visual re-check of the wpiers) and I was really proud driving away in it both times.

clubman wrote:could be alot worse lads, what i cant understand why ye insult these poor minis to these test, im driving minis a long time and never nct'ed a mini and further more wont ever insult my daily driver to such a test, it goes great without it and never have been asked why i dont have it nct'ed. minis are to be enjoyed and driven not for wondering will it pass the next nct test.

as illegal as it is, id have to toatally agree there.

its good to see im not the only one who feels that way about our beloved mini's, illegal it may be but not once have i been asked at a checkpoint why haven't i an nct and i go all over the country in mine and i have a 08 passat sitting outside the door and wont drive in preference to the mini.

Personally I've no problem with the NCT if it means that cars are safer and more roadworthy as a result.

I've a 58-year-old Triumph Renown that has to be NCTed every 12 months just like a taxi or a hackney and if it fails, you just fix the failed stuff, end of story.



It would be interesting to see how your insurance company would deal with a claim if you don't have your car NCTed.

Billy

to tell ya truth i dont worry bout it at all... i just stick it through the nct to see if my wee 20 year old car can pass an nct.
i also dont like bringing the mini to garages id rather make a go at anything that needs doing myself, so putting it through the nct just highlights the things that need to be fixed..

plus good point from billy there... what would happen if insurance was to come into play but the mini hasnt had an nct in ~~~ years...????

steven

ddin't i read about a judge that was done a while back for not having NCT... ?? i think he was stung for €1500. Bandon courthouse seems to ring a bell.

[edit] it was €250, and Mitchelstown....
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0404/finnt.html?rss

The AXA proposal form asks if the car has a NCT.

don't get me wrong I agree with the nct too on the safety aspect 100% its the stupid failures like the rear seat bench on the mini not screwed in(advice was to butcher it with self tappers) minor oil leaks, bucket seats harnesses, emmissions(this can be useful tho), handbrake to work on 3 clicks(if it works what's the difference??)

The nct did highlight some issues with my car and I'm happy they did because I fixed it, sometimes common sense should prevail with older cars.

And they should have proper mechanics doing the test tbh.

And the fact that they backdate the nct! Such a dumb practice, you should get 2yrs when you pass the test end of.

Apparently (and I could be wrong) the rules on importing a car are changing in that you can't get a log book without the car passing an NCT first so they're definitely tightening up.

Billy

They are tightening up the rules but I just wonder about who they have doing the testing.I had an experience earlier this year in which I put my S60 through the test.
I took the booster seat from the back of the car and went to place it in the boot when a chap who was not from this isle informed me the best he could that I couldnt put it in the boot and I had to take it into the waiting area with me.When I explained I already had my hands full with 2 kids he didnt seem to care so I placed it in the footwell on the passenger side were it would not be in the way of any testing procedure.He was not impressed with that and had a chat with his co-workers and guess what ,

The car failed the test on the light settings and antiroll bar bushes

Now as a Volvo mechanic I knew this should not have been the case.I applyed for a new test done nothing to the car and it passed no problem 2 weeks later.

They say there is no way of fiddling the test I dont believe that and nobody will change my mind on that one .

NCT is like a lottery
Point is if they want your car to fail it will regarding what kind of car it is

Isn't there also points on your licence for driving a car without an NCT?

The best tester I came across was Scottish who knew Minis inside out and was delighted to see one coming in on his shift

The advantage of having vintage cars tested is that they allow you on to the test area so you get to see how all the test equipment works. It also interesting to see the underneath of your car when it's up on the 4-post lift (cue Homer impersonation "Hmmmm, 4-post lift").

The corollary of the car failing on things that it shouldn't on is that occasionally it will pass when you know deep down it should have failed. Swings and roundabouts really. I have to do a minimum of 3 NCTs a year so on balance I'd say it's a fair system.

Billy

I think it's a good thing, it forces you to sort out problems on your car.

Good news! The Mini was in for it's retest yesterday, having had the bushes replaced and the oil cleaned up, and passed ok. That was it's final NCT too

Congrats on the pass Dave.