Recorded Gen II reliability

Irish Independent has put out an article regarding Ireland's vehicle road worthiness test or NCT, similar (and less advanced) as the UK's MOT.

It focuses on how new cars pass the most first time, old cars fail the most first time, nothing special. However;

''...for cars dated 10 years or older, the Toyota Prius has the best first-time pass rate at 62pc. Additionally, Toyota occupies four slots of the top 10 first-time passes for cars 10 years or older.''

Well, I wasn't so lucky. I had to pay an extra 20 something euro for another booking because it had a rusty, rear brake pipe.

I can attest to that given that they perform flawlessly in the test. Aside from impeccable reliability, it's mainly because the NCT isn't bothered with training their staff to activate maintenance mode, as the emissions test require a readable tachometer and the ability to high-idle at 2100 rpm. Our cars can't do either of that.

Brakes can't be tested properly either because of the regen, so it always appears spotless - that or the test requires a rolling road which brings us back to disabling the ESC with maintenance mode.

How different makes of car rate in the NCT - and the model that performs the worst every year - Independent.ie

Mess around with it for yourself: Tableau Public

The crappy, euro TDIs and Ford's TDCis aren't doing too well with age - surprise surprise.

 

So they even check the emissions with the OBD port?

 

That's good to know, and knowing that the Irish government right now is incapable of looking past the austerity it made for itself, I doubt the NCT centres will be given more funding and updating anytime soon.

 

Well, emission regulations would have to be in compliance with EU law - which is considerably less stringent than the US' until 2015. Unfortunately (for nice cars like big Citroens or 1990s Mazdas as my family seen), when an engine, often diesel now, knocks itself to pieces just enough, it would fail its NCT requiring an engine rebuild which would easily cost more than the car's worth.

If you still fail and it's just the engine failing (the O2 sensor, CAT and DPF are in good working order), then what would throw you off is Carbon particulates (i.e soot). Many people I know (most of them as business owners infact) have passed their diesels through the NCT by running a litre or gallon of petrol through the system to ''clean off'' any gunk in the fuel lines, injectors, etc.