I'm currently on 5427 on the 9 (towards Jarrow) and when I was waiting on Stockton Road for the bus to arrive, I saw 8350 looking like it had broken down with its hazards on.
Suddenly a maintenance person arrived (at full speed I may add and nearly took me out as he mounted the curb), however this was a plain white van so it looked like a random person. Luckily the engineer had his overalls around his waist as the driver not I knew why he was approaching and parked with haste.
And of course the wing mirror had fallen off!
(As of writing this it has just passed me going up Sunderland road albeit still NIS so I guess it was a 24?)
RE: Go North East - State of the Fleet