NCT now includes OBD testing?!

[Cyclepath]

Not sure if anyone else was aware of this change to the NCT, but apparently:

"From the 21st June, OBD testing will become an inspection item in the NCT. It will be introduced on a phased basis. Initially, when an OBD error code is detected it will result in the vehicle receiving an “Advisory Pass”. Then, from early 2022, when an error code is detected, this may constitute a reason for “failure”."

The government seem determined to drive old cars off the road. I drive a 12 year old mercedes diesel that's as fresh as the day it left the factory. Full service history, DPF intact, emissions perfect etc. My reward for not creating the need for a new car is annual motor tax of over 700 euro and a loading on my insurance because the car is over 10 years old.

Now I have to navigate around the OBD inspection which will faithfully report that my seatbelt pre-tensioners have failed. The only problem here is that the car was never fitted with them as standard and the damn code can't be removed by a mercedes specialist with all the mercedes computer equipment.

Anyone else fearing the worst?!

[CelticRambler]

Not quite so much as might have been the case - succumbed to kadman's unrelenting insistence and have just received a notification that ODB interface cables for my camper will be delivered on Friday. Well, not just the kadman pressure, but also sheer bloody pig-headedness, knowing that "they" are out to get my 18-year-old engine off the road, even though the vehicle it powers ensures that I can do the vast majority of my journeys on foot, and my lifestyle choices result in a heck of a lot fewer emissions than any daily commuter ... so I'm determined to keep it going, and catch any future faults before the test centre does.

[490808]

Its a 30 second job to scan the ODBC port on most cars and cancel any outstanding faults. If they come back then in most cases there is a problem that should be fixed.

I even posted a bargain alert for an ODBC bluetooth adapter for about €6.50.

I had my car NCT recently and I found a couple of error reports which I canceled which must have been fixed in the past one was with the MAP sensor and if the error was still valid the car wouldn't start or run properly - its starts and runs fine.

RE: ODB seat tensioner faults. The system may have the wiring fitted for them in which case a short would produce that error.

[kadman]

Its a 30 second job to scan the ODBC port on most cars and cancel any outstanding faults. If they come back then in most cases there is a problem that should be fixed.

I even posted a bargain alert for an ODBC bluetooth adapter for about €6.50.

I had my car NCT recently and I found a couple of error reports which I canceled which must have been fixed in the past one was with the MAP sensor and if the error was still valid the car wouldn't start or run properly - its starts and runs fine.

RE: ODB seat tensioner faults. The system may have the wiring fitted for them in which case a short would produce that error.

I missed your bargain alert for the cheap OBD reader. Was it the ELM 327, of chinese origin. If so I am glad I did. I have 3 and 2 of them are crap.

And depending on which code reader you buy, it would have to run into 1000's to be able to read all cars. Particular diagnostic readers will only read certain cars. A lot depends on whether certain branded electronics are common across brands. And as CR has found out you need specific cables to read different aspects of the car. A cable to read the engine module will not read the ABS module. You might get a switchable adaptor for the OBD plug that switches through the modules without changing cables. If its of chinese origin and cheap, chances are its crap. There was major manufacturing fault with these that had 2 pins swapped around for connection to the wrong ports. If you get one of thses it wont read nada.

[CelticRambler]

On the positive side: how many test centres are going to be kitted out with high-performance multi-marque inherently-reliable readers?

[kadman]

On the positive side: how many test centres are going to be kitted out with high-performance multi-marque inherently-reliable readers?

Everyone of them, they have for years. Their system is state of the art. They have tested OBD in India for the past 6 years.

How long do you think you can keep driving that old Talbot for....the end is nigh

[Cyclepath]

I missed your bargain alert for the cheap OBD reader. Was it the ELM 327, of chinese origin. If so I am glad I did. I have 3 and 2 of them are crap.

And depending on which code reader you buy, it would have to run into 1000's to be able to read all cars. Particular diagnostic readers will only read certain cars. A lot depends on whether certain branded electronics are common across brands. And as CR has found out you need specific cables to read different aspects of the car. A cable to read the engine module will not read the ABS module. You might get a switchable adaptor for the OBD plug that switches through the modules without changing cables. If its of chinese origin and cheap, chances are its crap. There was major manufacturing fault with these that had 2 pins swapped around for connection to the wrong ports. If you get one of thses it wont read nada.

Well here's the rub with Mercedes, many of their models from the late noughties onward have encrypted ECU code. It's literally impossible to do any sort of remapping. I've tried numerous places and none can either wipe a spurious code or remap my engine

[CelticRambler]

You don't get anything like this hassle with an ass-and-cart.

[kadman]

Well here's the rub with Mercedes, many of their models from the late noughties onward have encrypted ECU code. It's literally impossible to do any sort of remapping. I've tried numerous places and none can either wipe a spurious code or remap my engine

I suspect you have gone in depth on this problem with your merc, so I dont know whether you have tried cancelling out the residual power in the car. It seems to work with some makes, but I know very little about mercs.

[kadman]

You don't get anything like this hassle with an ass-and-cart.

You may well be right, but some parts of Ireland you have to put nappies on your arse (ass in a posh voice)

[490808]

Nah thats either the lazy Irishman that can't be bothered to stop to pick up or the Irish entrepreneur one that will sell the dung to gardeners.

[CelticRambler]

You may well be right, but some parts of Ireland you have to put nappies on your arse (ass in a posh voice)

Funny you should refer to that - I was reading an article the other day that said the prime motivation for the invention of the electric automobile (over a hundred years ago) was to rid our urban environments of the increasingly unmanageable pollution created by the horse-drawn carriages clogging up the city streets. In a foretaste of things to come, the concept of an electric car hit a road-block in the form of its inherently unreliable power source, and that class of vehicle was shunted into obscurity by the much more user-friendly internal combustion engine.

[490808]

I have this tester fairly generic chinese job but it works and resets codes. Its on offer fairly regularly and I paid about £25 for it (3 C's says its been as low as £22.50). Has saved me, used it on the side of the road a couple of times which helped find intermittent faults.

Going back to the OP if there is a fault code why not believe it? The system isn't perfect and it sometimes needs a bit of thought as to what the error code is on about. I learnt long ago that a fault code for a specific part may have nothing to do with that part and be in something simple like a corroded connector or chaffed wire somewhere in the wiring loom.

[dawg]

...Going back to the OP if there is a fault code why not believe it? ...

There are lots of 'fault' codes that are of no concern to Mr NCT.
I wonder who will decide if a 'fault' code is reason to fail a car ?
As an example, my car will from time to time throw a code indicating that the vanes on the aircon outlet are stuck. This means that aircon air is blown into the car cabin in a fixed direction rather than being wafted from side to side......
Would this be an excuse to fail a car ?
Who decides if it is or not ?

[490808]

Well that is the problem, no one knows whats will be a fail but I suspect when it comes to it there will be some documentation that states whats a fail or what isn't. Unless any fault is a fail.

Then there's the question is a stored fault a fail fault? I could have replaced a faulty MAP sensor so the stored fault only indicates that there was an issue with the MAP sensor not that there is a current ongoing fault.

[Cyclepath]

Going back to the OP if there is a fault code why not believe it? The system isn't perfect and it sometimes needs a bit of thought as to what the error code is on about. I learnt long ago that a fault code for a specific part may have nothing to do with that part and be in something simple like a corroded connector or chaffed wire somewhere in the wiring loom.

In my case, the code refers to an item that isn't in the car, so I went as far as removing a seat to look for a badly terminated lead or crushed wire etc. I'm going by a fault reported at the dash which specifically mentions the safety system. The really annoying thing is that two different aftermarket OBD testers wouldn't even connect. They were items recommended to me that worked fine with Renault and VAG cars.

[490808]

The only testers I can recommend work fine with VW's and Fords but no idea about Merc's.

I would look further than the seat can you get a wiring diagram?

[SmartinMartin]

Good luck to them trying to find the obd port in my 190e. It has one, but even if they could find it they have nothing that could plug into it.

[Hairy-Joe]

So what's going to happen on cars that have the OBD port relocated and a fake one put in the OEM location? I know of some high end cars (BMW especially) that have the port relocated due to security concerns?

Is this the thin end of the wedge for failing cars that have the DPF removed and coded out?

[490808]

Also common for Fiesta owners to put in a fake ODB port to help prevent theft.

I just think it will need removing before the test and putting back afterwards.

[kadman]

List of codes on your ecu will now tell the tester what he should be looking at in more detail, instead of making up visual faults to fail your car.
Now he has historical data to prove your precious should not be on the road.

Of course what happens when he finds out you have numerous airbag fail, abs,fail codes logged in, which can be intermittent.
And all those engine warning lights that come on and off, and folks keep driving.
And when he finds the ecu matching the odometer reading, but the gearbox and axle sensors dont match the mileage. Beemer owners lookout.

I would say a lot of owners are going to discover things they never knew about their cars.

And the crazy end to this story is 50 year old classics have no obd socket, and dont require a test either

[Wibbs]

Thankfully mine has a pre modern standard OBD port so good luck with them connecting with that. I do have a doohickey that connects to it and sends data to an old android phone I have, but it doesn't have a tenth of the data or any customisation compared to current OBD stuff. Plus it's lacking ABS and airbags anyway so...

[kadman]

Ell unless your car is pre 1991 then it may be OBD compliant

[CJhaughey]

A couple of big fat capacitors hooked up to a fake OBD would make the machine think twice about reading OBD's

[kadman]

A couple of big fat capacitors hooked up to a fake OBD would make the machine think twice about reading OBD's

Computer says No...