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SH55 COU

2005 BMW 523

Black Petrol 2497cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires20 Dec 2026
Tests27 (17 pass, 10 fail)
Pass rate63%

Mileage

74,341 mi
Last recorded74,341 miles
Recorded on3 Dec 2025
Typical for 2005 BMW 52384,459 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

RegistrationSH55 COU
MakeBMW
Model523
Year2005
ColourBlack
Fuel typePetrol
Engine2,497cc

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

17 pass 10 fail
Pass 3 Dec 2025 74,341 miles

Front Coil spring corroded n/s/f and o/s/f (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened n/s/r and o/s/r (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Pass 9 Dec 2024 70,728 miles
Fail 6 Dec 2024 70,726 miles

Emissions unable to be completed (8.2.1.2 (d))

Pass 6 Dec 2023 66,966 miles

Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight play (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Pass 7 Dec 2022 64,809 miles

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

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

Fail 6 Dec 2022 64,805 miles

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

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

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

Pass 21 Dec 2021 61,056 miles

Front Service brake fluctuating, but not excessively both (1.2.1 (e))

Fail 15 Dec 2021 61,046 miles

Central Rear Lower Suspension arm pin or bush excessively worn rear rose bush (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Front Wheel bearing rough when rotated (5.1.3 (b) (i))

Front Service brake fluctuating, but not excessively both (1.2.1 (e))

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

Pass 17 Dec 2020 59,466 miles
Fail 7 Dec 2020 59,452 miles

Nearside Rear Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Offside Rear Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Pass 6 Dec 2019 58,475 miles

Nearside Front fog lamp has slight water in it

Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement allrear bottom wishbones have slight play in the bushes (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Fail 5 Dec 2019 58,473 miles

Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively both front (3.4 (b) (ii))

Nearside Front fog lamp has slight water in it

Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement allrear bottom wishbones have slight play in the bushes (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Pass 23 Nov 2018 56,074 miles

Nearside Rear Outer Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Rear Inner Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Pass 24 Nov 2017 55,522 miles

Offside Front Inner Suspension arm has slight play in a pin/bush and n/s lower inner (2.4.G.2)

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

brake disc modified but not seriously weakened all front and rear worn (3.5.1n)

Pass 22 Nov 2016 53,963 miles

Front suspension has slight movement at a wishbone pin or bush both front lower wishbones (2.5.A.1c)

Trailing arm has slight play in a pin/bush all arms at rear (2.4.G.2)

Fail 16 Nov 2016 53,925 miles

Brake pipe excessively corroded both front to rear (3.6.B.2c)

Front registration plate deteriorated (6.3.1d)

Nearside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded from hose to abs valve (3.6.B.2c)

Nearside Front Outer Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.2.B.1f)

Nearside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded hose across rear axle (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded brake hose to abs valve (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded hose to front to rear (3.6.B.2c)

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

Front suspension has slight movement at a wishbone pin or bush both front lower wishbones (2.5.A.1c)

Trailing arm has slight play in a pin/bush all arms at rear (2.4.G.2)

Pass 25 Nov 2015 51,747 miles

Brake pipe slightly corroded both front to rear (3.6.B.2c)

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

Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm has slight play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Nearside Rear Exhaust emits black smoke during acceleration fault on dashboard (7.3.A.2c)

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

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

Suspension arm has slight play in a pin/bush all front and rear suspension arems (2.4.G.2)

Pass 25 Nov 2014 47,352 miles

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

Fail 24 Nov 2014 47,325 miles

Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.2.B.1f)

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

Pass 15 Nov 2013 40,674 miles
Fail 15 Nov 2013 40,674 miles

Rear registration plate deteriorated (6.3.1d)

Pass 14 Nov 2012 35,154 miles

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

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

wiper blades slightly noisy

Fail 15 Nov 2011 28,811 miles

Nearside Side repeater not working (1.4.A.2c)

service light on

some corrosion on nearside front brake pipe(at flexi hose end)

some deterioration on rear number plate

Pass 15 Nov 2011 28,811 miles

service light on

some corrosion on nearside front brake pipe(at flexi hose end)

some deterioration on rear number plate

Pass 16 Nov 2010 24,600 miles

both front brake discs corroded/corroding worn/wearing

offside reverse lamp inoperative

service light on

slight deterioration on rear number plate

Fail 16 Nov 2010 24,600 miles

Nearside Rear Valve stem seriously damaged (4.1.D.1e) DANGEROUS

Offside Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.2.B.1f) DANGEROUS

both front brake discs corroded/corroding worn/wearing

offside reverse lamp inoperative

service light on

slight deterioration on rear number plate

Pass 3 Dec 2008 12,533 miles

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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SH55 COU is a 2005 BMW 523 in Black with a 2,497cc petrol engine. This vehicle has been through 27 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 63%.

Across all 2005 BMW 523 models, the average MOT pass rate is 77.0% with a typical mileage of 84,459 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 SH55 COU, 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 21 years old, this BMW 523 is well into its expected lifespan but still has years ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check the history of SH55 COU?

You can check the full history of SH55 COU by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was SH55 COU registered?

SH55 COU is a 2005 BMW 523, first registered on 4 November 2005.

Is SH55 COU safe to buy?

The MOT history for SH55 COU shows 27 tests with a 63% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does SH55 COU 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 SH55 COU. 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.