Reversing lights and mirrors

[slater]

Are reversing lights compusary on some cars? if so does anyone know when this started?

Also did we ever work out when the requirement to have 2 mirrors came in and wether one of them needs to be external? (or can you have 2 internal to cheat the system!)

I'm wanting to loose the reversing lights on the fiesta and don't want to have to put wing mirrors on the Min

[goaferboy]

before 1978 1 mirror
after 1978 2 mirrors. one has to be internal.

i think thats right

no idea about lights. not even sure mine work

[tonycocacola]

all depends on the year of your car, regarding what it needs.
someone on here has the link to the mot guidelines but i cant remember who put the link up.
try googling for info.
hth
probably doesnt. ;D

[SteB]

www.motuk.co.uk/manual/contents.htm

Fairly sure you don't need a reverse light, and cant find any reference to it in there.

hth

Steve

[goaferboy]

found this though:

The age of your vehicle determines whether you need certain lights or not. Hazard warning lights and side repeater lights are mandatory on vehicles registered from April 1st 1986. A rear fog light is required on vehicles registered from April 1st 1980 but will not be tested if fitted to an older vehicle.

owning a retro ride has never been sweeter!

[goaferboy]

although the fact that they use april fools day as a start point makes me wonder if the people who make the rules are taking it entirely seriously...

[charlie]

A reversing light is so that you can see when you reverse. It is not a warning to other motorists. Therefore you don't need one. Nuff said.

On rear view mirrors my old 1970 car had no external mirrors and passed its MOTs no problem. Have you called an MOT centre to ask them about these things?

Charlie

[onlyrwd]

Reversing lights, rear washer and wiper are not tested as they are not any part of the MOT, ditch them and still pass. Mirrors....don't know

[Nathan]

Reversing Lights are not req. Both My MG's have them disconnected as they are curse word and always leak. I have passed every MOT with them like this

[kyteler]

It is the same in NZ, reversing lamps aren't mandatory. Mirrors, depends where you go, my car only used to have a rear view mirror and it passed several WoF's with just that.

[samyboy]

my 79 fiesta has no reversing light

[skoda_norman]

up until the late 80s the base model Estelle's only had 1 external wing mirror...

[Mr K]

on the subject of reverseing lights, if i fit a spot lamp to the back of the kitten for reverseing should it be on a seperate switch, or a spur off the other reverseing lamp? how do you guys do it?

[thevert]

This information has helped me as i just bought landrove style lights for the mini, just wanted to sets of two.
Signal
rear light/brake light (one unit)

The Fog lamp only has to be viewed from the rear so i wonder if i can put it behind the rear screen like so



Could easy cut this box to the shape of your rear screen

[Mr K]

do you have to have a fog lamp for the MOT? i think i just realised waht the two random wires are at the back of the kitten, and the switch that does nothing (even the text has worn off it) does!

[slater]

cheers guys, good news about the reversing light then, i can ditch that i asked cous ive got to fit a new rear valance panel to the fiesta some time and was thinking of fitting a mk2 version which dosent have the single central reversing light and is just plain (mk2 had reversing lights in the main clusters)

The minis a late 1977 or early 1978 model i think (R reg???) which hopefully means il get away with only having an interior mirror if not il just stick one on with blue-tak for the MOT! and ditch it afterwards lmao

[thevert]

Good idea!