My NCT-approved car nearly killed the driver behind me
I fully accepted that I should not expect any warranty on this car because of its age and the price I paid. I was resigned to the fact that I would have to spend cash and time to correct various minor defects to restore the car to its former glory.
But four days after obtaining the car an incident occurred which shocked me to the core.
Travelling at slightly under 60mph I heard a thud. In the rear view mirror I saw a black car pulling over with its flashers on. Hearing a roar from my Merc, I immediately pulled in. I saw the back box of an exhaust some 20 yards beyond the black car. I realised it was mine, and sprinted back to see if the driver was OK. He was, thank God. My exhaust back box had struck the bonnet of the black car right in front of the driver’s position and gouged a three-foot scar on it. I retrieved the back box from the middle of the lane and exchanged details with the driver - both of us recognising that we had come off lightly in the exchange.
The driver of the black car was extremely lucky that the back box had not continued straight through the windscreen.
This incident raised some serious questions about my car and its certified roadworthiness.
The car passed the NCT and the accident occurred six days later.
These questions are addressed to the Minister of Transport, National Car Test management and the dealer who sold me the car.
1. How could a car, which had just passed the NCT, cause a near fatal accident?
2. How are the NCT centres policed by the Department of Transport?
3. How are the NCT centres policed by the NCT management?
4. How are used car sales operations policed by the department?
5. Are the correct standards being applied across all NCT centres?
6. Are the NCT centres impartial when dealing with car dealers rather than private individuals?
I was under the impression, perhaps mistakenly, that the NCT system was introduced so as to standardise the quality of cars on our roads and thereby reduce accidents.
God knows, its expensive enough to get the NCT test done and, more often then not, to have it repeated after failure without the shocking outcome that I and the driver behind me experienced. I took the car to an exhaust replacement shop where they found:
1. The exhaust back, middle and front boxes were all joined to the central exhaust pipe with jubilee clips and epoxy.
2. The rubber part which holds up the middle box was perished/split and ready to drop the box.
3. The box after the catalytic converter was cracked (emissions test?).
4. The rubbers which hold the back box to the upper cradle were perished.
These questions demand answers, but will I get them? Or is this another case of smoke-and-mirrors, leading to massive profits for the NCT and the used car dealers to the detriment of the public?
Denis Moloney
Kilnagurteen
Macroom
Co Cork
