2009 MINI 1.6L Petrol · LS59 TZP

The vehicle presents in a broadly stable, recently repaired condition following its November 2025 retest at 89,390 miles, where it passed after rectifying significant front suspension defects. The maintenance trend is improving, though the record reveals a pattern of deferred minor faults and recurring wheel rim damage that suggests the car has endured rough use despite its low mileage. The most recent pass is dated 2025-11-17, meaning the current certificate is valid until November 2026 and sits just over seven months old as of today, 2026-06-17. The mileage progression tells a story of very light annual use with a notable gap. Between November 2023 at 78,655 miles and October 2024 at 85,041 miles, the car covered 6,386 miles in under twelve months. However, from October 2024 to November 2025, it recorded only 4,349 miles over a thirteen-month span, including the failed test at 89,302 miles and the pass at 89,390 miles. That final 88-mile jump across both tests in November 2025 indicates the vehicle was driven very little during that period, likely while awaiting repairs. The average of roughly 5,258 miles per year over seventeen years is genuinely low, but the recent stagnation raises the possibility of long periods standing, which can cause brake seizure, tyre flat-spotting, and dried seals. A buyer should physically inspect the front suspension with particular care. In the November 2025 failure, the tester flagged a serious fluid leak and negligible damping effect on the offside front shock absorber, a defect severe enough to cause an immediate fail. While the subsequent pass confirms a repair, the root cause of such failure on a low-mileage car often points to aged rubber bushes and corroded damper bodies from sitting stationary rather than high-mileage wear. The persistent advisories for oil leaks across multiple years, described as not excessive, suggest a minor but chronic engine or gearbox oil weep that has never been properly traced. Both front road wheels have been repeatedly flagged for inner rim distortion across three consecutive tests, indicating sustained kerb impact damage rather than a one-time incident. This repeated rim damage, combined with multiple tyre advisories for sidewall damage, perishing, and wear close to the legal limit, points to a driver who regularly contacts kerbs or drives on under-inflated tyres. The braking and lighting systems show no recurring serious defects, though the November 2025 failure did note both front position lamps not working, which were rectified before the pass. The windscreen has carried a damage advisory since at least October 2024, described as not affecting the driver's view, but its persistence across three tests suggests a stone chip or crack that has not been repaired. The fuel cap seal cracking noted in 2024 could trigger an evaporative emissions failure if left unaddressed. A prospective buyer should have a workshop inspect the front dampers for correct operation, check the inner rims for cracking rather than merely cosmetic distortion, and verify that the oil leak has not worsened since the November 2025 test. The tyres, given the repeated advisories, deserve close scrutiny for uneven wear patterns that would confirm the suspension and rim issues have disturbed the tracking or wheel balance.