2010 BMW 116 1.6L Diesel · FP10 HYK

The 2010 BMW 116 presents a stable and largely clean roadworthiness record, though the most recent test on 21 July 2025 at 78,530 miles introduced two advisories that mark a slight decline from the preceding years of defect-free passes. Between 2021 and 2024, every MOT returned a clean sheet with no recorded faults. The 2025 test broke that run with advisories for a perished or cracked inner rear tyre and slight play in the nearside front anti-roll bar ball joint. Both items fall short of serious structural or mechanical failure, yet they signal that routine underbody and rubber-component checks may have lapsed. The trend is not alarming, but it is no longer spotless. The mileage pattern reinforces the impression of light, intermittent use. The car covered just 7,407 miles between the July 2024 test at 71,123 miles and the July 2025 test at 78,530 miles, a sharp acceleration from the 5,593 miles recorded in the prior year and the 5,533 miles between 2022 and 2023. Over its sixteen years, the total of 78,530 miles averages roughly 4,908 miles annually, well below the typical UK figure of around 8,000 to 10,000. Such low accumulation can preserve drivetrain components and reduce brake and tyre wear, yet prolonged standing periods can equally dry out rubber bushes, seals, and tyres, which may explain the perished rear tyre advisory flagged in 2025. A buyer inspecting the car in person should focus on the front suspension and underbody condition. The slight play recorded in the nearside front anti-roll bar ball joint at the last test warrants a physical check for wear in both sides of the anti-roll bar linkage and the drop links, as these components commonly degrade on BMW 1 Series models with age regardless of mileage. The inner rear tyre advisory suggests the rubber has aged past its serviceable life; both rear tyres should be examined for sidewall cracking, tread depth, and date stamps, with replacement likely due if the tyres are more than six years old. Given the low annual mileage, suspension bushes, coil springs, and shock absorbers should be inspected for deterioration from age-related perishing rather than high-mileage fatigue. The overall MOT record remains reassuring. Four consecutive clean passes between 2021 and 2024 demonstrate consistent basic maintenance, and the two advisories in 2025 are minor and rectifiable. No structural corrosion, exhaust emissions failures, or braking defects have ever appeared on the record. A thorough test drive and an independent inspection of the front suspension and rear tyre condition should give a prospective buyer sufficient confidence to proceed.