Letter to the Editor: Time to put the brakes on overzealous NCT testing?

Sean McCarthaigh (Irish Examiner January 15) that during last year, 1 in 15 cars were classified as dangerous following inspection at the country's NCT centres.

Following my own recent experience, I'm surprised the figure wasn't higher.

Following inspection of the car, I was surprised when informed that one of the front brake-pads was badly worn.

This was classified as a 'major' failure, but not one preventing driving the car away. There was also an 'advisory' of wear on one of the back brakes.

As my NCT certificate was close to expiry, I immediately went to a garage to arrange fitting of new brakes, opting to replace both front and back.

The job was done and the car passed in the retest. My only problem was being informed by the mechanic who carried out the work, that all brake pads were unworn and would have sufficed for a long time to come.

His assessment was confirmed by two other mechanics, although the clearly visible healthy state of the brake pads speaks for itself.

The work and retest cost more than a few euros, but at least I have a brand new set of brakes.

What was of more concern at the time was the possibility of the NCT certificate running out, being in technical breach of the law, potentially facing penalty points on my license, and perhaps an increased insurance premium.

And yet the car appears to have been roadworthy at all times. There would seem to be a case for inspecting the inspectors.

-Rory O'Donovan

Killeens

Cork