2009 Bentley Continental 6.0L Petrol · 12 RBH

This Bentley Continental currently sits in an unroadworthy state following a failed MOT on 9 June 2026 at 103,838 miles. The maintenance trend is clearly worsening. The tester flagged excessive free play at the steering wheel originating from the steering rack, along with an offside rear service brake that is excessively binding. Both defects represent a marked escalation from the advisory-level play that had been tolerated in previous years. The mileage record reveals a notable anomaly. The 2023 test on 28 June logged 164,742 miles, a figure that sits 65,000 miles above the 99,897 miles recorded just twelve months earlier. This is inconsistent with the 2022 reading and the current 103,838-mile figure, strongly suggesting a mileage correction, a replacement instrument cluster, or a data entry error at the test station. Excluding that outlier, the vehicle has covered roughly 5,000 miles over the past four years, indicating very light recent use. The 2025 pass at 102,945 miles and the current failure at 103,838 miles confirm the car has been driven fewer than 1,000 miles in the last seventeen months. The steering rack defect is the most persistent concern on file. Testers noted play in the inner joint on the offside in 2021, 2022, and again in 2023, with the 2025 advisory covering both nearside and offside inner joints. That the condition has now graduated to a failure for excessive free play at the steering wheel suggests the rack internals or track rod ends have deteriorated significantly. A buyer should have the rack assembly, inner tie rods, and rack mounting bushes inspected on a four-post lift, checking for both play and fluid leaks from the hydraulic PAS system. The binding offside rear brake is equally concerning. A caliper that is sticking or a handbrake cable that is not releasing fully can overheat the disc and cause premature wear or warping. The rear caliper, slide pins, brake hose for internal collapse, and the handbrake mechanism itself all need hands-on inspection. Beyond the flagged items, a car of this age and value with a known steering rack issue warrants a thorough structural inspection. The subframes, suspension mounting points, and jacking points should be checked for corrosion, particularly if the vehicle has spent periods stationary. Suspension bushes and coil springs should be examined for perishing or sag, and the condition of the tyres and brake discs and pads should be assessed for uneven or excessive wear consistent with the reported faults.