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R181 VRX

1998 BMW 523

Silver Petrol 2494cc
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MOT Status

Expired
Expires4 Sep 2015
Tests19 (9 pass, 10 fail)
Pass rate47.4%

Mileage

97,387 mi
Last recorded97,387 miles
Recorded on27 Aug 2014
Typical for 1998 BMW 523117,395 mi

Below or average mileage for this year

4 checks still locked for this BMW
Stolen
Finance
Write-off
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Vehicle Details

RegistrationR181 VRX
MakeBMW
Model523
Year1998
ColourSilver
Fuel typePetrol
Engine2,494cc

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

9 pass 10 fail
Pass 27 Aug 2014 97,387 miles

Offside Inner Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)

offside rear tyre cracking close to cords

Fail 27 Aug 2014 97,387 miles

Fuel cap/sealing device missing (7.2.4a)

Offside Inner Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)

offside rear tyre cracking close to cords

Pass 5 Sep 2013 96,091 miles

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

Fail 5 Sep 2013 96,091 miles

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

Offside Front Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Offside Front position lamp(s) not working (1.1.A.3b)

Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (8.2.2)

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

Fail 7 May 2013 95,677 miles

Front Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

Nearside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.1.E.1)

Offside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.1.E.1)

Offside Inner Front Lower Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Supplementary Restraint System warning lamp indicates a fault (5.4.2)

Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)

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

Nearside Rear Brake hose slightly deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)

Offside Rear Brake hose slightly deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)

Power steering component(s) has slight seepage from a component (2.3.3b)

Under-trays fitted obscuring some underside components

hand brake just efficient

rear tyres perished

Fail 15 May 2012 94,635 miles

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

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

Offside Front 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)

Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

wet conditions

Pass 15 May 2012 94,635 miles

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

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

Offside Front 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)

wet conditions

Fail 11 May 2011 92,784 miles

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

Offside Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

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

Offside Registration plate lamp not working (1.1.C.1d)

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

Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

n/s o/s front tyres worn edges n/s rear

Pass 11 May 2011 92,784 miles

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

Offside Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Rear 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 40mm circle outside zone 'A' (8.3.1d)

n/s o/s front tyres worn edges n/s rear

Pass 6 May 2010 90,611 miles

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

Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage has slight play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

all tyres worn and perished

outer sill covers fitted

Fail 4 May 2010 90,596 miles

Offside Front Front suspension has excessive play in a lower suspension ball joint (2.5.B.1a) DANGEROUS

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

Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage has slight play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

all tyres worn and perished

outer sill covers fitted

Pass 19 May 2009 88,259 miles

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

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

front and rear brake pads unchecked [not seen]

outer sill covers fitted

Fail 7 May 2009 88,203 miles

Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage has excessive play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Nearside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.1.E.1)

Nearside Rear Anti-roll bar linkage has excessive play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Offside Front Front position lamp(s) not working (1.1.A.3b)

Offside Front Headlamp aim too low (1.8)

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

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

front and rear brake pads unchecked [not seen]

outer sill covers fitted

Fail 1 May 2009 88,179 miles

Offside Front Headlamp excessively damaged so that the light output is severely reduced (1.7.5a)

Offside Front Headlamp not in good working order adversely affecting beam image (1.2.4a)

Offside Front Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

Offside Front position lamp(s) not working (1.1.A.3b)

Offside Rear Lower Suspension arm has excessive play in a pin/bush (2.4.G.2)

registration plate fitted to the front does not have black characters on a white background (6.3.2a)

registration plate fitted to the rear does not have black characters on a yellow background (6.3.2b)

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)

temporary fuel filler cap fitted, sealing suspect

Pass 3 May 2008 85,367 miles

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

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

No inspection of inner sills, plastic sill covers fitted.

Pass 27 Apr 2007 82,520 miles
Fail 25 Apr 2007 82,491 miles

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

Pass 27 Apr 2006 79,220 miles
Fail 26 Apr 2006 79,220 miles

Fuel cap/sealing device sealing washer missing (7.2.4c)

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

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

air bag warning lamp staying on

How Reliable is the BMW 523?

Based on 254,660 MOT tests across 20,979 vehicles.

69.9%
Pass Rate
5,849
Miles/Year
30
Year Lifespan
20,979
On UK Roads

Top MOT Failure Points

Parking brake: efficiency below requirements 17,201
Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 15,085
parking brake recording little or no effort 9,427
Brake pipe excessively corroded 9,143
Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid 7,285
Full BMW 523 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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R181 VRX is a 1998 BMW 523 in Silver with a 2,494cc petrol engine. This vehicle has been through 19 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 47.4%.

Across all 1998 BMW 523 models, the average MOT pass rate is 67.9% with a typical mileage of 117,395 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 523 fails its MOT is parking brake: efficiency below requirements, accounting for 17,201 recorded failures. If you're considering buying R181 VRX, it's worth having these areas checked by a mechanic before committing.

The BMW 523 typically stays on UK roads for around 30 years. At 28 years old, this BMW 523 is approaching the upper end of the typical lifespan for this model.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check the history of R181 VRX?

You can check the full history of R181 VRX by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was R181 VRX registered?

R181 VRX is a 1998 BMW 523, first registered on 1 April 1998.

Is R181 VRX safe to buy?

The MOT history for R181 VRX shows 19 tests with a 47.4% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does R181 VRX 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 R181 VRX. 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.