I have a penchant for breaking/scraping the passenger side ORVM on every car I have ever owned. And it’s mostly been at home while reversing out of my verandah.
BHPian joybhowmik recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Broken Mirror
How did that happen?
November 4, 2024
I have a penchant for breaking/scraping the passenger side ORVM on every car I have ever owned. And it’s mostly been at home while reversing out of my verandah.
Reason: The clearance between the cast iron main gate when open and the wing mirrors can be measured in centimeters. And sometimes , the old hinges make the gate swing back a little.
Real reason: I was thinking of something else when reversing out after a full charge. This is not the regular way I take Ruby out; I park in the ready-to-go position except when charging. So muscle memory is nonexistent. And I was thinking of other things.
The Damage
When it happened, I could hear plastic shattering, and the upper part of the mirror assembly came off with a bang and was thrown behind. Luckily, the front tires did not run over it. There was a scruff mark on the mirror housing side & bottom, and the indicator lamp was broken.
I tried to put the pieces back together by prying and prodding the indicator to sit right, but I could have tried and tried. They weren’t going to come together—maybe a fitter would do a better job with tools.
I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.
Broken left side mirror
Help Needed!
I was already running late for office, so I put the upper part away and started my commute. However, just before that, I also posted on the messaging group Autovikas have setup for Ruby. I was hoping someone would see my plea even though it was 9:20 AM.
Quote:
I broke my passenger side mirror, what is the cost , is it available and how long does it take to replace?
There wasn’t any reply for what seemed like ages. So, while stopped in the usual 30 minute traffic snarl on the notorious NH-8, placed a call direct to Mr. Arvind of Tata.EV dedicated service center. Mentally, I was thinking this was going to cost me big time, but he patiently asked me about the nature of damage. I was driving at the time, so I could not message him – but I told him that it looked like the indicator lamp was broken. He said it would cost approximately ₹900 to fit a broken indicator lamp, and take approximately 30 minutes to fix.
That kind of got my runaway heart rate down a bit.
The arrival
I reached the service center at 11. Ruby was whisked away, out of sight. This time, I did not venture into the shop floor much—except to explain the problem.
Small World
While waiting in the lounge, I bumped into a familiar face. Mr. Mukherjee – the General Manager, turned out to someone I knew very well, from a past life that seems ages ago now. He used to be the General Manager of Vivek Automobiles in Sarita Vihar—at a time when I used to own a Palio 1.9 D. I’m talking 20 years ago—what a small world.
The Repair
For the curious few -here’s the part number.
Here’s the new side indicator fitted. 
Note the scuff marks on the edge of the housing.
I spoke with Mr. Mukherjee and that was promptly attended to with polishing compound. At least it doesn’t look so bad now, and can even pass a casual inspection. Alternative to replacing the whole mirror assembly for a ghastly ₹20,000, I am perfectly happy with a hard to discern scar.
Scuff marks mostly rubbed down.
The paperwork
The SA graciously waived off labour charges. The damage ₹784. I was out in just over an hour.
The bill.
Final thoughts
First off, thanks to Tata Motors for designing this part for the Indian market. Side mirrors are the first casualty for many a driver, and by making this assembly in three parts – it’s been designed in a way that somewhat mitigates the financial impact of minor scrapes and impacts.
Second, thanks to the team in Autovikas dedicated EV center, for taking care of this job quickly. Well deserved 5 stars on Google.
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