Should I get my car checked by a garage before its NCT?

Are you meant to bring your car to a garage before your NCT to see if there's anything wrong with it or do you bring it for the NCT and then fix what needs to be fixed and resit the NCT?

Say if you brought it to the garage before would they check it for everything the way they would in the NCT or would they just check for what are the most popular reasons for failure? Because if that's the case wouldn't you be better to get the NCT first to see what's wrong if they do a more detail inspection?

Niamh Dolan (Sligo)

Oct 2013 Filed under: NCT

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Expert answer

Hi Niamh,

Doning an NCT is like going to the dentist; no-one wants to do it and it always ends up costing more than it should. Nonetheless, it's necessary every couple of years.

Much like going to the dentist, the result of your NCT will have more to do with how you've been looking after things over a long period. Bringing your car in for a service just before the test is rather like breaking out the mouthwash and floss just before visiting the mouth doctor. It's not going to fix any underlying problems.

It also depends on how thorough your garage is and whether or not you've told them you're going for an NCT. A good garage, properly informed, should check and re-check everything that's necessary to ensure a pass, but even then, the NCT test is both thorough and inflexible - the smallest issue could trip you up. In that sense, it's probably better, if a little more long-winded, to go for the test and then get everything that's flagged up sorted. Yes, it will be expensive, but you'll have to make the repairs anyway.

But ultimately, we're back to the dentist metaphor again. Looking after your car on a daily basis is what will ensure you a pass.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe