2012 BMW 520 2.0L Diesel · LS12 UBU

The 2012 BMW 520 holds an MOT certificate issued on 9 June 2025 at 125,466 miles, meaning the test is now a year old and due for renewal. The mechanical trend is actively worsening. During that June 2025 visit, the tester initially failed the vehicle due to fractured nearside front and offside rear coil springs before passing it later the same day once repaired. This structural suspension failure marks a significant escalation from previous years where wear was limited to advisory notices. Covering 125,466 miles over a 14-year lifespan equates to an annual average of roughly 8,962 miles. This aligns with typical usage for a vehicle of this class. The MOT history shows consistent annual testing every June without any prolonged gaps in the record. The mileage increments steadily by around 4,000 to 5,000 miles each year between 2022 and 2025, indicating regular driving rather than long periods standing idle. A prospective buyer must scrutinize the entire suspension assembly and rear axle components in person. The tester flagged slight play in both front lower suspension arm ball joints in June 2022 and again in June 2024 at 120,925 miles. By June 2023 at 116,157 miles, worn control arm bushes on the nearside front and offside rear joined perished rear differential bushes on the advisory list. This chronic degradation across multiple suspension nodes culminated in the snapped coil springs a year later. The previous owner also repeatedly ignored tyre wear. The tester noted the rear tyres wearing close to the legal limit on the inner edges during the 2022 test, the 2025 failure, and the subsequent 2025 pass. This specific wear pattern strongly suggests underlying rear alignment issues or neglected suspension geometry that requires immediate physical verification.