Will a cracked wing mirror fail MOT

Good evening URCM people,

My car was in an accident and the repairs are due to be carried out at the end of May, but the MOT is due before then. Most of damage was cosmetic (scratches and dents on front and rear doors and rear wing) but the driver's wing mirror is cracked.

I am assuming this will fail the MOT (please correct me if I am wrong), but will it pass if stick one of the temporary plastic ones from Halfords or suchlike over the top? I'd rather not do too much since the insurance company will be paying for the repair.

Thanks in advance, Al

Reply to
Al Reynolds
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Our local friendly garage was where my mum went when she had a cracked wingmirror. She always askes if there are any cheap fixes for the problems she has (!), and they said they would just stick a new mirror ontop. They did that, and have MOTed the car since then too. No problems...

HTH

M
Reply to
Max Hamlet

Cheers for the quick response. That's what I thought. It's a bit like them accepting Holt's "gun gum" on a hole in the exhaust (even if it's just for the day of the test!).

Al

Reply to
Al Reynolds

I cracked a mirror on my old Alfa 33 when I clipped it on a traffic cone at 60-odd mph..... (I'd been driving a LHD car for a few months and somehow forgot the big expanse of car to the left of me... oops)....

anyway, come MOT time, I just got an 'advisory' on it - never did replace it and got a further 2 passes before the car expired.

Reply to
SteveH

SteveH ( snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Bin there, dun that. Two NSF tyres in two mornings after three weeks of LHD...

Reply to
Adrian

Ooops.... I'm just fortunate I didn't put the nearside of the car into the trench in the road.

I initially found it a problem swapping between LHD and RHD - driving on the kerb in RHD cars, and on the wrong side of the road in LHD cars. After a few months of swapping around, however, I soon got used to it.

Reply to
SteveH

SteveH ( snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Yes. Still, company car, so at least it wasn't my pocket. Just my ears...

I found the biggest problem initially was trying to change gear with the door handle. Road positioning problems came later, as I got more comfortable and had to actively think about it less.

Owning several of each now, the only remaining problem is reminding yourself which side you should be walking to as you head to the car. I've not actually got in the wrong side yet, but I have had to do a last minute change of trajectory a few times.

Reply to
Adrian

I believe the MOT stipulates 2 rear facing mirrors - One will be the inside, and the other could be either of the near/offside mirrors. To be on the safe side, pop to a motor factor and get a stick on mirror glass to put over the original.

Graham

Reply to
Graham

Graham ( snipped-for-privacy@lycos.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

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Obligatory mirrors are a. an exterior mirror fitted to the offside (right-hand side when seated in the drivers seat), or

b, an exterior mirror fitted to the nearside (left hand side when seated In the drivers seat), or

c. an interior mirror.

Passenger vehicles with no more than 7 passenger seats first used before 1 August 1978 must have any one of the above options.

Passenger vehicles with more than 7 passenger seats of any age, and all passenger vehicles first used on or after I August 1978 (not being a minibus as above), must have two mirrors, one of which must be option 'a'.

Reply to
Adrian

Thanks for the link, Al

Reply to
Al Reynolds

The message from "Graham" contains these words:

As I understand it vehicles which can in normal use be loaded to block the view from the interior mirror, like estate cars and vans, are required to have two external mirrors - saloon cars need only have an interior and and offside.

Reply to
Guy King

No, no, no, no, no, yes. That and trying to put the handbrake on and nearly reclining the seat after returning to RHD! (But never did get confused about the foot 'handbrake' in my us-spec Jeep Wrangler!)

Adam H

Reply to
Ex Alfa Adam

glasses for most models and they cost about £5. Don't take out the old glass, just stick the new one on top of the old one with the two double sided adhesive strips that are supplied with it. Have never had one come unstuck yet. Jim.

Reply to
Grandad

Hmmm... a family member (who is a driving instructor) told me when I bought my current car that it's not necessary to have a nearside wing mirror - I noticed there wasn't one and asked specifically if there should be one. Its absence makes little noticeable difference to visibility.

-- For Sale: car, wheelchair, USB phone chargers... All Auctions:

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Reply to
Helen Page

Helen Page ( snipped-for-privacy@celosia.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

That's true. As it said in the next point, the bit you snipped...

If the car is post 1/8/78, then you MUST have the driver's door mirror plus EITHER an interior mirror or a passenger door mirror. If it's pre 1/8/78, then any one mirror. If there's only one, it's most likely to be the interior.

Some people use that passenger door mirror, some don't. Some don't use any mirrors. Just look at the number of times you see people driving around with the driver's door mirror folded in.

Reply to
Adrian

The message from "Helen Page" contains these words:

I've a feeling you have to have one on estates 'cos of the possibility of obscuring the view through the back.

As for it not being much use - how do you check your nearside before leaving a roundabout - for example? Or moving back to the left lane on a motorway? Or watch the sliproad for twits trying to push in ahead of you as they join?

Reply to
Guy King

Turn your head , or drive fast enough you know you're in a clear bit of road, all that frag yiou save by not having one helps (Opel Manta).

Reply to
Duncan Wood

But I did read them, they don't specify less than 7 seats/post-1978...

I make use of it if the car has one... must say the electric wing mirrors (control on driver's door) on my last car (*cough*... see sig) came in pretty handy for getting up close to the kerb when parking! LOL!

-- For Sale: car, wheelchair, USB phone chargers... All Auctions:

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Reply to
Helen Page

You can easily block the view in a hatchback... I only have a metro but it's transported a small chest freezer, music equipment, computer desk... LOL

Um... I use the windows... ;)

-- For Sale: car, wheelchair, USB phone chargers... All Auctions:

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Reply to
Helen Page

Helen Page ( snipped-for-privacy@celosia.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

**>>>> and all passenger vehicles first used on or after I August 1978**

Didn't it?

Reply to
Adrian

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