CARS THAT emit noise levels over 99 decibels will no longer pass the national car test (NCT) following additional changes to the test which came into effect yesterday.
A spokesman for the Road Safety Authority welcomed the move, noting that the authority receives “an awful lot of complaints” about loud vehicles.
“We are setting the noise level at 99 decibels, which, even if you Google it and compare it with other noise levels, you’ll find that we’re talking about the extreme end of the scale,” he said.
The new NCT stipulations also mean that vehicles with tinted windscreens or front windows must now have a light transmission level of less than 65 per cent.
Vehicles fitted with warning lights for airbags, electronic and anti-lock braking systems and electronic stability control will fail a vehicle if they are malfunctioning.
The authority said that the additional test items will improve vehicle safety.
Cars that do not have E-mark tyres, those which conform to EU product standards, will be failed, a move welcomed by the president of the Irish Tyre Industry Association Dave Naughton. “Worn and substandard tyres are dangerous . . . check your tyres at point of purchase, particularly if looking at second-hand tyres.”
Deputy editor of Modified Motors magazine Tristan Wheeler warned drivers of Japanese-import cars to check that they comply with the new rules. “Japanese import cars don’t have E mark tyres,” he said.
Penalty points for vehicles without an NCT certificate were introduced in May 2009.
The average waiting time for the NCT stands at three weeks. The longest waiting list is in Deansgrange in Dublin.
Seven additional tests were added to the NCT on April 1st:
- Cars should not have tinted windscreens or front-side windows with a light transmission level of less than 65 per cent;
- Exhausts cannot generate noise levels exceeding 99 decibels;
- Where fitted, fog lamps will be checked to ensure a red light is clearly visible;
- Reverse lights will be checked to ensure white lights are clearly visible;
- Tyres will have to bear an "E" or "e" mark, certifying that they conform to EU product standards and will fail if not visible;
- Warning lights for airbags, electronic, antilock braking systems and electronic stability control will be checked and the vehicle will fail if a malfunction indicator is not working or indicates a defect in the system;
- Rear registration plate lamps will be tested resulting in a "fail advisory" if they do not comply but this alone will not fail the vehicle.