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Y261 BRW

2001 BMW 5 Series

Blue Diesel 2497cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires6 Apr 2027
Tests34 (21 pass, 13 fail)
Pass rate61.8%

Mileage

173,732 mi
Last recorded173,732 miles
Recorded on7 Apr 2026
Typical for 2001 BMW 5 Series106,542 mi

Significantly above average — investigate

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

RegistrationY261 BRW
MakeBMW
Model5 Series
Year2001
ColourBlue
Fuel typeDiesel
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

21 pass 13 fail
Pass 7 Apr 2026 173,732 miles

Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))

Offside Rear Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight play (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Fail 25 Mar 2026 173,732 miles

Front Anti-roll bar pin or bush excessively worn both bushes (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Nearside Headlamp aim too low (4.1.2 (a))

Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Front Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (5.3.2 (b))

Offside Rear Other passenger door cannot be opened from outside the vehicle (6.2.3 (a))

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

Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))

Offside Rear Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight play (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Pass 24 Mar 2025 171,726 miles

Nearside Front Front fog lamp insecure needs securing (bumper damage) (4.5.1 (c) (i))

Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint has slight play (2.1.3 (b) (i))

Nearside Front bumper damaged

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

Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge and cracked (5.2.3 (e))

Offside Front Track rod end ball joint has slight play on the limit (2.1.3 (b) (i))

Offside Rear Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight play (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Pass 15 Feb 2024 162,422 miles

Central Rear Oil leak, but not excessive rear differential has minor leak (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm ball joint has slight play lower control arm (rearmost) ball joint worn with slight play (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Nearside Rear Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing tyre perished/cracking in primary tread grooves (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Nearside Rear Upper Suspension arm ball joint has slight play upper control arm (leading) outer ball joint worn with slight play (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Pass 10 Mar 2023 160,620 miles

Nearside Front Play in steering rack inner joint(s) ()

Nearside Rear Fuel Pipe/s corroded ()

Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing all tyres slightly perished/cracking in primary tread grooves (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Fail 27 Feb 2023 160,569 miles

Nearside Rear Stop lamp(s) not working (4.3.1 (a) (ii))

Supplementary restraint system warning lamp indicates a fault drivers airbag warning lamp stays on indicating fault (7.1.6 (a))

Central Front Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases minor leaks from front flexible joints (6.1.2 (a))

Front Headlamp lens slightly defective nearside & offside front headlamp outer lens slightly deteriorated, light intensity slightly reduced (4.1.1 (b) (i))

Nearside Front Play in steering rack inner joint(s) ()

Nearside Rear Fuel Pipe/s corroded ()

Offside Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material rear brake pipes slightly corroded at flexible hose union and by side of fuel tank/inner sill (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Rear Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive inner sill by jacking point corroded (small hole forming) (7.1.1 (a) (i))

Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing all tyres slightly perished/cracking in primary tread grooves (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Pass 15 Mar 2022 157,687 miles

Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material all brake pipes covered with grease/other material (1.1.11 (c))

Front Tyre slightly damaged nearside front outer sidewall & offside front inner sidewall slightly damaged (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Nearside Rear Position lamp slightly affected by the operation of another lamp (4.2.3 (c))

Offside Front Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases minor leak from front flexible joint (6.1.2 (a))

Offside Front Road wheel slightly distorted outer bead rim slightly distorted (5.2.2 (c) (i))

Fail 22 Feb 2022 157,643 miles

Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm pin or bush excessively worn lower control arm inner bush excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Front Headlamp aim too low (4.1.2 (a))

Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material all brake pipes covered with grease/other material (1.1.11 (c))

Front Headlamp lens slightly defective nearside & offside front headlamp outer lens deteriorated, beam image quality & light intensity slightly reduced (4.1.1 (b) (i))

Front Tyre slightly damaged nearside front outer sidewall and offside front inner sidewall slightly damaged (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Nearside Rear Position lamp slightly affected by the operation of another lamp (4.2.3 (c))

Offside Front Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases minor leak from front flexible joint (6.1.2 (a))

Offside Front Road wheel slightly distorted outer bead rim slightly distorted (5.2.2 (c) (i))

Pass 5 Feb 2021 150,614 miles

Anti-roll bar pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement both front (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Nearside Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear (1.1.11 (c))

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

Offside Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear (1.1.11 (c))

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

Rear Sub-frame pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Pass 12 Feb 2020 146,476 miles

Nearside Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear (1.1.11 (c))

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

Offside Rear Wheel bearing slightly noisy (5.1.3 (b) (i))

Pass 5 Mar 2019 142,536 miles

Nearside Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear (1.1.11 (c))

Fail 1 Mar 2019 142,536 miles

Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.3.4 (b) (ii))

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

Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush excessively worn lower front arm (5.3.4 (a) (i))

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

Nearside Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear (1.1.11 (c))

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

Offside Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear (1.1.11 (c))

Pass 19 Feb 2018 136,526 miles
Fail 16 Feb 2018 136,418 miles

Nearside Front Suspension arm ball joint dust cover excessively deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)

Parking brake lever has no reserve travel (3.1.6b)

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

Pass 8 Feb 2017 128,894 miles
Pass 29 Feb 2016 110,796 miles

all tyres on 3/4mm

Fail 29 Feb 2016 110,796 miles

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

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

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

all tyres on 3/4mm

Pass 16 Feb 2015 101,301 miles
Fail 16 Feb 2015 101,301 miles

Front Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (8.2.2)

Offside Front Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

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

Pass 5 Mar 2014 96,746 miles
Pass 4 Apr 2013 94,159 miles
Fail 4 Apr 2013 94,159 miles

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

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

Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

Pass 3 Apr 2012 90,931 miles

Parking brake lever has little reserve travel (3.1.6b)

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

Pass 7 Apr 2011 86,003 miles
Fail 5 Apr 2011 85,965 miles

Exhaust emits an excessive level of metered smoke for a turbo charged engine (7.4.B.3b)

Front Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

Pass 1 Apr 2010 80,366 miles
Fail 26 Mar 2010 80,204 miles

Exhaust emits an excessive level of metered smoke for a turbo charged engine (7.4.B.3b)

Fail 16 Mar 2010 79,821 miles

Exhaust emits an excessive level of metered smoke for a turbo charged engine (7.4.B.3b)

Offside Front Tyre has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (4.1.D.1b) DANGEROUS

Fail 20 Mar 2009 73,710 miles

Centre Stop lamp not working (1.2.1b)

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

Offside Stop lamp not working (1.2.1b)

Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

Pass 20 Mar 2009 73,710 miles

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

Pass 18 Mar 2008 70,287 miles
Pass 3 Apr 2007 63,258 miles
Pass 17 Mar 2006 52,075 miles
Fail 17 Mar 2006 52,075 miles

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

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

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)

How Reliable is the BMW 5 Series?

Based on 944,163 MOT tests across 122,930 vehicles.

80.5%
Pass Rate
8,163
Miles/Year
35
Year Lifespan
122,930
On UK Roads

Top MOT Failure Points

Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 25,557
Parking brake: efficiency below requirements 14,960
Brake pipe excessively corroded 12,202
parking brake recording little or no effort 7,953
Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid 7,589
Full BMW 5 Series reliability report

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Y261 BRW is a 2001 BMW 5 Series in Blue with a 2,497cc diesel engine. This vehicle has been through 34 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 61.8%.

Across all 2001 BMW 5 Series models, the average MOT pass rate is 72.9% with a typical mileage of 106,542 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 5 Series fails its MOT is tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, accounting for 25,557 recorded failures. If you're considering buying Y261 BRW, it's worth having these areas checked by a mechanic before committing.

The BMW 5 Series typically stays on UK roads for around 35 years. At 25 years old, this BMW 5 Series is well into its expected lifespan but still has years ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check the history of Y261 BRW?

You can check the full history of Y261 BRW by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was Y261 BRW registered?

Y261 BRW is a 2001 BMW 5 Series, first registered on 12 April 2001.

Is Y261 BRW safe to buy?

The MOT history for Y261 BRW shows 34 tests with a 61.8% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does Y261 BRW 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 Y261 BRW. 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.