2003 MG TF 1.8L Petrol · BP52 GDV

The car passed its most recent MOT on 2026-05-28 at 35,707 miles — just 18 days ago. It had minor advisories only: two small oil leaks (engine and nearside rear driveshaft seal), offside front tyre perishing, slight play in the offside front shock absorber’s lower rose joint, and play in the nearside front steering rack inner joint. That same set of issues — except the washer and horn — appeared in the failed MOT six days earlier on 2026-05-22. The failure was due to non-safety items: inoperative windscreen washer and horn. All other defects were identical and unchanged from the pass — meaning they were present but not severe enough to fail the test. The steering rack inner joint play has recurred consistently since at least 2021, appearing in every MOT since then. The shock absorber bush wear and tyre perishing are new since 2021. The oil leaks have also persisted across both 2026 tests — suggesting long-standing, slow seepage rather than sudden deterioration. The trend is stable for the oil leaks and steering play, but worsening for suspension components: the shock absorber bush wear and tyre condition are recent developments. No major new safety-critical faults have emerged beyond these, and there’s no evidence of accelerating decay — but the persistence of multiple advisory items over years signals underlying age-related wear that hasn’t been addressed.