Irish Nct(national Car Test)

[madder]

Hi, My Corolla xli 1996 is going for an NCT on wednesday 21st February! I'm a little nervous.

I had to spend so much money on the car in the last 12 months, windshield, Hand Brake Cable, Clutch, Gearbox, Gear Linkage Cable snapped, Timing Belt, 2 CV joints, along with the usual full service, 4 tyres, and an oil change or 2!

Excuse some of my naivety and lack of knowledge about cars in general!

Right now I know that one of my headlights need to be set.

My key won't work in my driverside doos. It tries to unlock the door but there's an obstruction of some sort which wasn't solved with lubricant.

The filling strip which sits underneath the left tail light is missing. I'm not sure if it's what you'd call a sharp edge without that piece, but if it is, it will fail the test.

So I've been sent a list of things that I can do myself to make sure the car has a better chance of passing.

1. Make sure the car has adequate oil and water. I'll get an oil change done the day before to be sure. But what water do they mean exactly?

2. Make sure the car has the correct tyre pressure. I think 32 for all wheels is the correct pressure isn't it?

3. Check windscreen wipers and windscreen washers? What am I looking for here?

4. Check all lamps. Is it a fact that if a lamp doesn't work it may be a fuse and not the bulb?

5. Make sure tyres and wheels are in good condition. What is an acceptable condition for my tyres?

thanks for any help that people can give in advance!

[richardAE111]

I can see you're determined to have your car pass first time, but you are going to unnecessary lengths to do so. What I would recommend is to put the car through the NCT without doing anything. If you fail, correct the problems they tell you to. What you have listed below (1-5) goes without saying.

1. Do not change the oil if you don't need to. Make sure there is enough oil in the engine, that's all. Out with the dipstick and check the level. The water they are referring to is the water in the cooling system. Check your water expansion bottle to make sure there is enough water in the cooling sytem. Check your manual if you're not sure where it is.

2. The correct tyre pressure should be located in your manual or it can be found on the inside of your car's front right hand door.

3. Make sure they work, do each of the jets spray water? Are your wipers in good condition? Are they cleaning the water from the windscreen effectively? If so, you're good to go. Make sure you have enough water in your windscreen reservoir also.

4. Yes it is possible, 9/10 times it's the bulb, so if you've any bulbs not working, get to Halfords or Auto Care and replace them. You will fail if 1 bulb isn't working. They always check the bulbs.

5. 1.6mm of tread depth is the minimum tread depth for your tyres in Ireland. Make sure your wheel nuts are secure and that the wheels aren't damaged/buckled.

Best of luck and as I said, don't let them waste any more of your time. Just put the car through and see what they say.

[madder]

Cheers