3.3 Visors, Wipers, Washers, Mirrors & Door Retention

Inspect the driver’s view and occupant access

These systems are often over-inspected through workshop habit. Apply the manufacture dates, class rows, and specific functional tests in General Vehicles pages 5-2 through 6-1.

Sun visors, wipers, and washers

A sun visor must be secure and must not unexpectedly fall into or obstruct the driver’s view. Damage matters when it prevents proper function or creates a hazard, not because upholstery is cosmetically worn.

Where a windscreen is fitted, the required wiper must be present and effective. A power-driven wiper is generally required for vehicles manufactured on or after 1 January 1960 (and where fitted as original equipment on older vehicles). A windscreen washer is generally required from 1 January 1992.

Reject a required wipe/wash component that is missing, insecure, or damaged; a wiper that cannot clear the screen well enough for adequate vision; controls that cannot activate the equipment; or a washer nozzle that does not direct fluid onto the windscreen. The VIRM does not create a universal requirement that every speed, intermittent setting, or automatic park feature must work unless the specified requirement makes that defect relevant.

Rear-view mirrors

Identify the class and first-registration date before deciding what is mandatory. Examples from the current table include:

• MA, MB, and MC vehicles manufactured before 2000: an external right mirror or an interior mirror;
• those classes manufactured from 2000: an external right mirror and an interior mirror;
• NA vehicles manufactured before 2000: an external right mirror or interior mirror;
• NA vehicles manufactured from 2000: an external right mirror plus either an interior mirror or an external left mirror; and
• MD1 and MD2 vehicles: both exterior mirrors.

Rear glazing overlays can trigger both-exterior-mirror requirements. Apply all applicable rows.

A required mirror must be secure, adjustable as intended, and provide an adequate, stable view. Reject broken or badly deteriorated reflective surfaces when the required view is affected. The VIRM does not use an invented “25% desilvered area” threshold.

Doors and hinged panels

Check each required door, bonnet, boot lid, tailgate, and other retention system. A door must open from inside where required, close without unreasonable difficulty, and remain securely latched. A prisoner-compartment door has a specific exception. A child safety lock is permitted, but it must be capable of being deactivated as the VIRM requires; test the actual mechanism rather than assuming any rear door that will not open from inside has failed.

Reject insecure or damaged hinges, latches, catches, or mountings that impair retention. The door page specifically addresses corrosion within 150 mm of a hinge or latch. Inspect both the component and supporting structure. External handles and gas struts are not universally mandatory simply because the vehicle originally had them; decide whether the VIRM’s access, retention, or hazard criterion is breached.

Integrated inspection

1. From the driver seat, test visor security and view.
2. Operate required wipers and washers and observe the cleared area.
3. Confirm class/date mirror equipment and the view each mirror provides.
4. Operate doors from the required sides, including child-lock deactivation where applicable.
5. Test primary and secondary bonnet or hinged-panel retention where fitted and required.
6. Inspect mountings and nearby corrosion using the component page.
7. Record the actual failed function rather than an assumed design feature.

Scenario

A Class MA car manufactured in 1998 has no interior mirror but has a secure external right mirror with a clear view. The pre-2000 manufacture table can permit that arrangement. Applying the from-2000 “right exterior and interior” rule would be incorrect.

Functional traps

A wiper that moves but smears a broad opaque band may fail effectiveness; a torn blade tip that still clears the required view is assessed by outcome and condition rather than appearance alone. Run the washer long enough to establish nozzle direction without emptying a reservoir or damaging a frozen system.

For doors, test the primary latch and any secondary bonnet retention using the normal controls. Do not slam a misaligned door to force a pass. Where a child lock is engaged, establish that it can be deactivated and then retest the inside handle. For powered doors or tailgates, confirm safe retention and ordinary opening/closing while following manufacturer precautions.