1972 MG Midget 1.3L Petrol · FHJ 429L

A chronic advisory on the offside front wheel bearing, noted at both the July 2025 and July 2026 tests, sits at the heart of this MG Midget's recent DVSA history and is the most pressing mechanical signal for any prospective buyer. Each instance was logged under section 5.1.3 (b) (i) as slightly noisy, which in MOT terms typically means the tester could detect audible roughness from the bearing when the wheel was rotated by hand or under load. While the vehicle has continued to pass, an advisory repeated across consecutive annual examinations points to a progressive wear pattern rather than an intermittent or one-off condition, and it should be regarded as the dominant mechanical thread running through the record. The remaining test outcomes are otherwise clean, with no advisories recorded in 2022, 2023 or 2024, and the most recent pass on 16 July 2026 carried no further defects beyond the bearing note. Recorded mileage of 73,644 miles across approximately 54 years equates to a long-term average of around 1,364 miles per year, which is a modest annual figure for a vehicle that has been tested consecutively each summer from 2019 through 2026 without any recorded gaps in testing. The history shows annual tests every July without fail, suggesting the car has either been kept taxed and on the road throughout this period or has been moved under trade plates for the examinations, but there is no DVSA evidence of a multi-year lay-up. Given the age of the vehicle, even this relatively low annual mileage is sufficient to cause meaningful ageing of rubber, seals and greases over the decades, particularly on a 1972 design with suspension and steering components that rely on periodic use to keep lubricants distributed. The repeated king pin advisory from 2020 and 2021, in particular, is consistent with components that have simply aged in situ rather than been worn out through heavy use. For a prospective buyer, the offside front wheel bearing is the priority inspection item. On a test drive, listen for a low humming or growling noise that rises and falls with road speed rather than engine rpm, and which may change or temporarily disappear during cornering as load transfers off the affected wheel. Lift the front of the car and rock the offside wheel at the three and nine o'clock positions to feel for roughness or play, and rotate it by hand to detect grittiness rather than smooth rotation. Because the advisory has now appeared twice, replacement is the realistic expectation rather than monitoring. The earlier king pin advisories relating to a slight lift on the offside side in 2020 and 2021 should also be revisited; check for any play or clunking from the front suspension over uneven surfaces, pay particular attention to steering precision and any self-centring vagueness, and inspect the king pin and its bushes, shims and thrust bearings for wear or seizing. The exhaust mounting advisories from 2019 and 2020 are less critical mechanically but indicate that the central and rear mounting rubbers have been degrading, so with the engine running, listen for any exhaust rattle on the over-run or over speed humps. Beyond the flagged items, the broader test-drive focus for a small, elderly British roadster with this mileage profile should be the condition of the suspension, braking and underbody components, areas that MOT testing only samples at a single annual snapshot. Listen for knocks or clonks from the front suspension over broken surfaces, which on this model can originate from worn trunnion bushes, shock absorber top mounts, or anti-roll bar links. Check for pulling under braking, a spongy pedal, or any binding that suggests a seized caliper, and inspect the brake pipes and flexible hoses for corrosion or cracking, given the age of the vehicle. With such low annual mileage, also confirm that the fuel system, cooling system, clutch and gearbox remain free from internal corrosion or seized components from extended standing, and verify that the tyres are in good condition with no flat-spotting, cracking or perished sidewalls. The MOT record alone cannot establish the overall mechanical state of the car, but it does narrow the inspection priorities to the offside front wheel bearing and the previously flagged king pin and exhaust mounting areas.