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M5 FOE

1999 BMW 540

Green Petrol 4398cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires12 Aug 2026
Tests25 (15 pass, 10 fail)
Pass rate60%

Mileage

171,463 mi
Last recorded171,463 miles
Recorded on13 Aug 2025
Typical for 1999 BMW 540107,004 mi

Significantly above average — investigate

4 checks still locked for this BMW
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Finance
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Vehicle Details

RegistrationM5 FOE
MakeBMW
Model540
Year1999
ColourGreen
Fuel typePetrol
Engine4,398cc

All premium checks include

50+ data points
Finance Check (Experian) Insurance Write-off Salvage Auction Stolen Check Previous Owners Ex-Taxi, Police, NHS Mileage Anomaly Import / Export Scrapped Check Plate Changes

MOT History

15 pass 10 fail
Pass 13 Aug 2025 171,463 miles
Pass 8 Jan 2024 168,855 miles
Pass 17 Aug 2022 165,436 miles
Pass 16 Aug 2021 161,607 miles
Pass 20 Jul 2020 156,783 miles
Pass 16 Aug 2019 156,009 miles
Fail 6 Jul 2019 156,003 miles

Parking brake efficiency below requirements (1.4.2 (a) (i))

Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened x4 (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge x2 (5.2.3 (e))

Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))

under components corroded

Fail 12 Mar 2019 155,990 miles

Anti-lock braking system warning lamp does not illuminate (1.6 (a))

Nearside Rear Tyre fouling a part of the vehicle wheel arch (5.2.3 (f))

Offside Rear Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn top arm (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Rear Tyre fouling a part of the vehicle wheel arch (5.2.3 (f))

Parking brake efficiency below requirements (1.4.2 (a) (i))

Rear Suspension system inoperative both (5.3.5 (a)) DANGEROUS

Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened all 4 (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Nearside Front Steering linkage ball joint has slight play (2.1.3 (b) (i))

Nearside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

Nearside Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

Offside Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

slight surface rust under body

Pass 25 Apr 2017 153,262 miles
Fail 19 Apr 2017 153,243 miles

Nearside Front Tyre fouling a part of the vehicle full lock, catching Inner Arch Plastic (4.1.D.2)

Offside Front Tyre fouling a part of the vehicle Full Lock, Catching Inner arch Plastics (4.1.D.2)

Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.C.1b)

rear parking brake recording little or no effort both rear no hold (3.7.B.6a)

Pass 6 Jan 2016 152,106 miles

Front wipers smearing across screen

Nearside Drag link end ball joint has slight play (2.2.B.1f)

Fail 6 Jan 2016 152,105 miles

Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)

Front wipers smearing across screen

Nearside Drag link end ball joint has slight play (2.2.B.1f)

Fail 30 Dec 2015 152,079 miles

Nearside Headlamp aim too low (1.8)

Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)

Offside Rear Upper Suspension arm has slight play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

all brake discs slighty pitted

oil leak

Fail 23 Nov 2015 151,991 miles

Nearside Front Headlamp aim too low (1.8)

Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)

Supplementary Restraint System warning lamp indicates a fault (5.4.2)

Offside Rear Upper Suspension arm has slight play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Pass 3 Aug 2013 149,699 miles

Oil leak

Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 10mm circle within zone 'A' (8.3.1a)

Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 40mm circle outside zone 'A' (8.3.1d)

Fail 1 Aug 2013 149,699 miles

Nearside Parking brake recording little or no effort (3.7.D.3a)

Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)

Oil leak

Power steering pipe(s) or hose(s) has slight seepage from a joint (2.3.3b)

Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 10mm circle within zone 'A' (8.3.1a)

Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 40mm circle outside zone 'A' (8.3.1d)

Pass 30 Oct 2012 148,533 miles

Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

Front registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (6.3.1d)

Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Offside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 40mm circle outside zone 'A' (8.3.1d)

parking brake only just met requirements it would appear the system needs adjustment or repir

Fail 22 Oct 2012 148,549 miles

Brakes imbalanced across an axle (3.7.B.5b)

Nearside rear parking brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.6a)

Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)

Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

Front registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (6.3.1d)

Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Offside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Pass 7 Jun 2010 148,204 miles

Parking brake: parking brake efficiency only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (3.7.B.7)

Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 10mm circle within zone 'A' (8.3.1a)

Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 40mm circle outside zone 'A' (8.3.1d)

front brake discs worn to min thickness

Pass 22 May 2009 144,517 miles

Nearside Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

Offside Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

Parking brake: parking brake efficiency only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (3.7.B.7)

Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 10mm circle within zone 'A' (8.3.1a)

Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 40mm circle outside zone 'A' (8.3.1d)

handbrake travel high

Pass 4 Jun 2008 137,392 miles

Nearside Front Headlamp not in a clean condition but not affecting beam image (1.2.4a)

Nearside Inner Front Upper Tie bar/rod rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Offside Inner Front Upper Tie bar/rod rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 10mm circle within zone 'A' (8.3.1a)

Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 40mm circle outside zone 'A' (8.3.1d)

Pass 5 Jun 2007 128,529 miles

Nearside Front Headlamp damaged but light output not reduced (1.7.5a)

Nearside Inner Front Suspension arm has slight play in a track control arm inner bush (2.5.B.2b)

Fail 5 Jun 2007 128,529 miles

Nearside Front Headlamp damaged but light output not reduced (1.7.5a)

Nearside Inner Front Suspension arm has slight play in a track control arm inner bush (2.5.B.2b)

Offside Front Headlamp aim too high (1.8)

Fail 26 May 2006 117,019 miles

Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage has excessive play in a pin/bush (2.4.G.2)

Pass 26 May 2006 117,019 miles

How Reliable is the BMW 540?

Based on 50,016 MOT tests across 4,152 vehicles.

71.9%
Pass Rate
4,801
Miles/Year
33
Year Lifespan
4,152
On UK Roads

Top MOT Failure Points

Parking brake: efficiency below requirements 2,881
Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2,341
Brake pipe excessively corroded 1,599
parking brake recording little or no effort 1,360
Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid 1,334
Full BMW 540 reliability report

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Not all vehicle check providers are the same. Some don't offer a data guarantee, which means if their information is wrong, you're on your own. Every CarVerify report is backed by a £30,000 finance data guarantee.

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M5 FOE is a 1999 BMW 540 in Green with a 4,398cc petrol engine. This vehicle has been through 25 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 60%.

Across all 1999 BMW 540 models, the average MOT pass rate is 70.8% with a typical mileage of 107,004 miles. This particular vehicle has a lower pass rate than the average for its year, which may indicate maintenance issues worth investigating.

The most common reason a BMW 540 fails its MOT is parking brake: efficiency below requirements, accounting for 2,881 recorded failures. If you're considering buying M5 FOE, it's worth having these areas checked by a mechanic before committing.

The BMW 540 typically stays on UK roads for around 33 years. At 27 years old, this BMW 540 is approaching the upper end of the typical lifespan for this model.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check the history of M5 FOE?

You can check the full history of M5 FOE by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was M5 FOE registered?

M5 FOE is a 1999 BMW 540, first registered on 9 June 1999.

Is M5 FOE safe to buy?

The MOT history for M5 FOE shows 25 tests with a 60% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does M5 FOE have outstanding finance?

Finance checks require a premium vehicle report. This checks against all major UK finance providers to see if there is any outstanding finance on M5 FOE. If you buy a car with outstanding finance, the finance company can repossess it.

No warranty or guarantee of accuracy is provided for any free data on this page. The data guarantee applies only to information obtained through the purchase of a full check.