The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

The 1850 failed the MoT this week but one item I'm disputing is the lack of an offside mirror. According to the regulations cars used before 1st August 1978 only need one mirror in any position. I have the interior mirror so I'm covered. It didn't fail last year on this so I'm puzzled why it is a failure this time.

What are your thoughts?

Basically you need to find somewhere else to MOT your car. Is this the same people who passed your welding last year? Sounds like they don't understand the rules. What else did it fail on?

Tell them they're wrong. Then go somewhere else because they're clearly incompetent..

Yours is a 1973 model I think Dave.
So just one mirror is required, the interior one.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=29336&hilit=mirror
HTH,
Tony.

Mark, it is a different testing station to last year's. The same testing station tested my Astra in March and I had no issues with them. I'll definitely be disputing the mirror issue. There were quite a few electrical-related failures (which are probably due to lack of use). It also failed on the bottom balljoints which I replaced 6 years ago when I rebuilt the front suspension. I've just had the subframe mounts on the offside repaired properly at great expense (it was worth biting the bullet to get the job done right the first time).

Steve, I had 2 separate recommendations for this testing station so I'm not going to take my business elsewhere over the absence of a door mirror. Hardly incompetent but I thought the computerised test was supposed to pick these sort of things up. They've got the "year of first use" right. It would be a knee-jerk reaction to go elsewhere.

Tony, the car is of 1972 vintage so it still needs only one mirror.


Thanks for your input everyone. If my "resto" thread gets reinstated you can follow the progress once again.

Toledo Man wrote: Steve, I had 2 separate recommendations for this testing station so I'm not going to take my business elsewhere over the absence of a door mirror. Hardly incompetent but I thought the computerised test was supposed to pick these sort of things up. They've got the "year of first use" right. It would be a knee-jerk reaction to go elsewhere.

If they make mistakes like that then I suspect they're not following the testing procedure properly. Makes you wonder what it *should* fail on that they haven't noticed.

Steve

My 81 W reg Dolly passed last week with one external mirror on the off side. There must be a garage experienced in classics up your way.

To be fair, the odd rules that are age dependant are pretty hard to remember for the poor old tester. Yes, it would be nice if they didn't make the odd minor slip up, but I am sure if you query iyt all will be well.

The chap who tested my spitfire was in a tiswas because the car has an (undated) ford engine. He was going to have to dig through the regs, but I was on hand and got the webpage up on my phone and a quick look from him had it sorted.

I once had a test failure for a similar thing where I knew the tester was wrong. When sensible debate failed, I asked for an appeal form. That must have caused some concern because I immediately got a change of heart.

I've since found out that everyone involved seems to have a different opinion. I have an external door mirror for the offside door so that can go back on if need be and it is covered. I was at the garage after work today (the testing station is next door but one) and some of the electrics have come back to life. There are 6 failures on various bulbs alone which can easily and quickly be sorted out. It failed on the horn and that is now working again. It doesn't work with both horns connected but when I disconnect one of them it works perfectly. The hazards are working again as is the nearside rear indicator bulb (failed on these too). It will all get sorted out in the end. I'm not going to fall out over the door mirror and I wanted it back on the car but the grub screw is seized which is why it was kicking about on the parcel shelf since last year.

Why on earth did you put it in for an MOT with no Horn, no Hazards, and 6 blown bulbs?
No wonder the tester didnt bother to look too deeply into the minutia of rules and regulations with a massive list of very silly failures like that, just added it to the list....

Matt's right, Dave. They probably couldn't be bothered to look up the age range and the fact that you probably have 2 holes in the door where the old mirror was, was enough to convince him that it once had one so probably still should!
Since I don't pay for retests, I don't check cars very thoroughly before presenting them for test, but I always check the silly season stuff, lights, wipers, horn, tyres fuel cap and seatbelts, since getting those sort of failures is downright embarrassing! Not much sympathy here I'm afraid!

Steve

It was intentionally put in for the test to see what it would need to pass then it can all be sorted out in one go. It has been in the local garage since February for the subframe mounts to be repaired. Thankfully it didn't fail on any body corrosion which is always my biggest worry.

I have some sympathy. I presented mine recently and its been standing under a cover for a good while while I sorted out
a couple of bodywork issues.
On the way it lost the ignition fuse due to the usual overdrive loom malarky......

So I predictably failed on wipers indicators screen wash etc. Tester didnt mind....he understood, did the rest and it passed next
time ok.

Rear bulbs more than likely need a wiggle....those snap in bulb holders always give grief if a car isn't used. If one horn stops the
other working I'd be looking to see its wired up the right way round...

Also give the fuse box a good clean. I just swapped mine out for a nice 6 quid 4 fuse MGB one...

Jonners

Jonners, you mentioned the MGB fusebox in another thread so that already got me thinking and I even had a look on ebay. The testing station has 2 testers and they both have different opinions. It is irrelevant now because I've been wanting the door mirror back on the car so it will get through the MoT.