2004 BMW 645 4.4L Petrol · AV04 CSX

A notably clean MOT profile distinguishes this 2004 BMW 645, with three consecutive pass certificates issued in 2024, 2025 and February 2026 carrying no recorded defects or advisories whatsoever. This unbroken run of clean tests reflects a vehicle that has met the statutory roadworthiness standard at each annual examination without examiners needing to flag any monitor, advisory or failure items. The only entry of any note in the recorded history is a single advisory from the April 2022 test, where the supplementary restraint system warning lamp was noted as failing to illuminate intermittently, an issue that did not reappear at any subsequent test. The absence of any further advisories relating to suspension components, brake lines, exhaust integrity, corrosion, tyres or lighting over the most recent three examinations is a strong indicator of stable mechanical condition at the point of the latest assessment. Against an age of roughly twenty-two years, the recorded mileage of 77,908 miles equates to an annual accumulation of approximately 3,541 miles, which sits well below the typical usage rate for a vehicle of this vintage and significantly under what would be expected of a car originally positioned as a grand tourer. A three-year gap is also evident in the testing history, with the 2024 examination following on from the April 2022 test, indicating either a period off the road with no test requirement or a delay in returning the vehicle for its statutory check. Lower annual mileage on a vehicle of this age carries a mixed mechanical implication: wear-sensitive components such as brake discs, callipers, tyres and bushes are likely to have sustained less frictional wear, but prolonged standing periods can accelerate ageing of rubber components, brake hydraulic seals, oil seals and certain polymer items. The relatively low odometer reading should therefore be weighed against the real possibility that consumable rubbers and seals may have aged beyond what the mileage figure alone would suggest. Given the single SRS lamp advisory that has not recurred across three subsequent examinations, the most relevant physical check at the point of purchase is to confirm the current functionality of the airbag warning system. With the ignition switched on, the restraint system warning lamp should illuminate for a brief bulb-check period before extinguishing; any failure to light at all, or illumination that persists after the engine has started, would suggest a fault in the airbag control module, a crash sensor, a wiring fault, or a known issue with the seat occupancy mat. Because the original advisory specifically described the lamp as intermittent, a buyer should also be alert to the possibility that the warning behaviour may only manifest under certain conditions such as low battery voltage, particular seat occupancy or after the vehicle has been left standing. Clearing any stored fault codes via a diagnostic tool capable of interrogating the restraint system would provide definitive reassurance. With no recorded advisories against braking, suspension, steering or corrosion over the most recent test cycle, attention during a physical inspection and test drive should focus on the components that low-mileage, ageing vehicles of this type commonly suffer from even when MOT results are clean. On a road test, listen for any clonking or creaking from the front suspension over uneven surfaces, particularly from the lower control arm bushes, thrust arms and anti-roll bar linkages, as these are known wear items on E24 and E63 chassis derivatives. Brake pedal feel should be assessed for any sponginess, excessive travel or judder under firm application, as standing periods encourage surface corrosion on discs and potential binding of calliper sliding pins. With the engine at operating temperature, check for any signs of coolant loss, oil seepage from the valley gasket or Vanos solenoid seals, and any smoke from the exhaust on start-up or overrun, as these areas frequently require attention on high-vintage BMW V8 units irrespective of test outcome.