Why cars fail their MOT on visibility: wipers, washers and glass
Visibility items fail 4.65 percent of car MOTs. Mostly cheap wiper faults, but a cracked screen in the wrong place is a bigger bill. What to check.
MOT DATA · 4 min read
A common, mostly cheap failure
Visibility items fail 4.65 percent of car MOTs. This category covers wipers, washers, mirrors and the windscreen, and most of the failures are cheap: a torn wiper blade, a washer jet that does not squirt, or a missing or damaged mirror.
What fails
Split or smearing wiper blades, blocked or empty washers, and a damaged or missing wing mirror are the everyday causes. The one that costs more is a crack or chip in the windscreen within the driver's swept area, which is an automatic fail and needs a screen replacement rather than a repair.
What it costs
Wiper blades are a few pounds, a washer pump or jet is cheap, and a mirror glass or cap is modest for most models. A full windscreen replacement is the outlier, typically a hundred to a few hundred pounds depending on the car and whether it has heating, sensors or a camera behind the glass, which pushes it up.
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The salvage angle
Wipers and washers are almost free to sort and should never put you off. The item to price properly is the windscreen, because accident salvage often has a cracked or smashed screen, and cars with camera-based driver aids need the screen calibrated after fitting, which adds cost. Check the glass in the damage photos and let the Analyzer include a screen and calibration where it applies.
Where to get the parts
Sourcing the part yourself rather than leaving it to a garage's mark-up is usually where the saving is. GSF Car Parts carries most of what a job like this needs, with click and collect from local branches.
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Related guides
- Why cars fail their MOT on corrosion and body structure - Body, chassis and structure faults fail 3.18 percent of car MOTs, and can turn a cheap car into scrap. What fails and why it matters most on salvage.
- Why cars fail their MOT on emissions and leaks - Noise, emissions and leaks fail 3.03 percent of car MOTs. Often a cheap sensor, sometimes a catalytic converter or DPF. How to tell which on a salvage buy.
- Why cars fail their MOT on steering (and what it costs) - Steering faults fail 1.84 percent of car MOTs. Less common, but on an accident salvage a steering fault can point at hidden impact damage. What to check.