MOT History from tests of petrol BMW 3-SERIESs year 2002

Review the list of common BMW 3-SERIES failures below or to perform a specific mot history check on your BMW then use our popular KnowYourCar service

mot history

Pass percent:65.13%

(The average a petrol BMW 3-SERIES year 2002 passes without issue)

Based on:569,851 MOT Tests

Most common failures	No# failures
Headlamp aim out of alignment	32037
Brake pipe excessively corroded	27777
Registration plate lamp issues	23719
Parking brake: efficiency below requirements \|3.7.B.7\|	22900
Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively	21196
Rear parking brake recording little or no effort	16284
Registration plate issues	9031
Supplementary Restraint System warning lamp indicates a fault \|5.4.2\|	8666
Offside Rear Direction indicator incorrect colour \|1.4.A.2f\|	8140
Nearside Rear Direction indicator incorrect colour \|1.4.A.2f\|	7456
Brake hose excessively deteriorated	6405
Offside Front Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excessive movement \|2.4.G.2\|	4865
Nearside Front Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excessive movement \|2.4.G.2\|	4730
Offside Rear coil spring incomplete \|2.4.C.1a\|	4655
Brakes imbalanced across an axle	4651
Offside Rear coil spring fractured \|2.4.C.1a\|	4609
Exhaust emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits \|7.3.D.3\|	4545
Nearside Rear coil spring incomplete \|2.4.C.1a\|	3802
Nearside Rear coil spring fractured \|2.4.C.1a\|	3800
Offside Headlamp aim beam image obviously incorrect \|1.8.A.1b\|	3544
Parking brake lever has no reserve travel \|3.1.6b\|	3441
Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault	3429
Offside Front Suspension arm has excessive play in a ball joint \|2.4.G.2\|	3335
Nearside Front Suspension arm has excessive play in a ball joint \|2.4.G.2\|	3177
Offside Rear Shock absorber has a serious fluid leak \|2.7.3\|	3161
Nearside Front position lamp\|s\| not working \|1.1.A.3b\|	3129
Front Exhaust system not adequately supported \|7.1.1\|	3097
Offside Front Suspension arm has excessive play in a pin/bush \|2.4.G.2\|	3042
Nearside Front Suspension arm has excessive play in a pin/bush \|2.4.G.2\|	2932
Nearside Headlamp aim beam image obviously incorrect \|1.8.A.1b\|	2848
Offside Rear coil spring broken \|2.4.C.1a\|	2757
Offside Front position lamp\|s\| not working \|1.1.A.3b\|	2706
Offside Front Lower Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excessive movement \|2.4.G.2\|	2397
Exhaust emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle excessive \|7.3.D.3\|	2355
Offside Rear Direction indicators incorrect colour \|1.4.A.2f\|	2344
Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excessive movement \|2.4.G.2\|	2336
Nearside Stop lamp not working \|1.2.1b\|	2266
Offside Stop lamp not working \|1.2.1b\|	2241
Nearside Rear Direction indicators incorrect colour \|1.4.A.2f\|	2166
Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover excessively damaged so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt \|2.4.G.2\|	2144
Nearside Rear coil spring broken \|2.4.C.1a\|	2113
Offside Front Lower Suspension arm has excessive play in a ball joint \|2.4.G.2\|	2066
Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm has excessive play in a ball joint \|2.4.G.2\|	1989
Front brake disc in such a condition that it is seriously weakened	1936
Rear Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases \|7.1.2\|	1923
Parking brake efficiency below requirements (1.4.2 (a) (i))	1900
Rear brake binding	1772
Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage has excessive play in a ball joint \|2.4.G.2\|	1717
Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage has excessive play in a ball joint \|2.4.G.2\|	1708
Nearside Rear Shock absorber has a serious fluid leak \|2.7.3\|	1688
Offside Headlamp not working on dipped beam \|1.7.5a\|	1651
Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover excessively damaged so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt \|2.4.G.2\|	1594
Offside Front suspension has excessive play in a lower suspension ball joint \|2.5.B.1a\|	1590
Nearside Headlamp not working on dipped beam \|1.7.5a\|	1584
Nearside Front suspension has excessive play in a lower suspension ball joint \|2.5.B.1a\|	1573
Exhaust emissions carbon monoxide content at idle excessive \|7.3.D.4\|	1539
Windscreen has damage	1537
Exhaust system not adequately supported \|7.1.1\|	1526
Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover excessively deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt \|2.4.G.2\|	1497
Supplementary restraint system warning lamp indicates a fault (7.1.6 (a))	1393
Parking brake efficiency below requirements \|1.4.2 \|a\| \|i\|\|	1327
Front brake application uneven	1307
Rear brake disc in such a condition that it is seriously weakened	1284
Offside Front Headlamp aim beam image obviously incorrect \|1.8.A.1b\|	1239
Rear Exhaust system not adequately supported \|7.1.1\|	1192
Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover excessively deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt \|2.4.G.2\|	1154
Nearside Front Front position lamp\|s\| not working \|1.1.A.3b\|	1103
Offside Front Lower Suspension arm has excessive play in a pin/bush \|2.4.G.2\|	1091
Nearside Rear Stop lamp not working \|1.2.1b\|	1059
Electronic stability system warning lamp indicates a fault \|3.4.1c\|	1045
Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.1.2 (h))	1044
Offside Front Direction indicator incorrect colour \|1.4.A.2f\|	1038
Offside Rear Stop lamp not working \|1.2.1b\|	1034
Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm has excessive play in a pin/bush \|2.4.G.2\|	1029
Fuel cap/sealing device sealing washer deteriorated \|7.2.4c\|	1025
Windscreen has a sticker or other obstruction encroaching into the swept area by more than 40mm outside zone `A` \|8.3.1e\|	1011
Nearside Front Headlamp aim beam image obviously incorrect \|1.8.A.1b\|	995
Exhaust emissions hydrocarbon content after 2nd fast idle excessive \|7.3.D.3\|	935
Offside Headlamp not in good working order adversely affecting beam image \|1.2.4a\|	934
Offside Front Front position lamp\|s\| not working \|1.1.A.3b\|	933
Horn not working \|1.6.2a\|	903
Supplementary restraint system warning lamp indicates a fault \|7.1.6 \|a\|\|	878
Windscreen washer not working	875
Offside Front suspension has excessive movement at a wishbone pin or bush \|2.5.A.1c\|	858
Nearside Front Shock absorber has a serious fluid leak \|2.7.3\|	851
Nearside Front Direction indicator incorrect colour \|1.4.A.2f\|	830
Offside Headlamp aim aimed so that it dazzles other road users \|1.8.A.1a\|	826
Offside Side repeater incorrect colour \|1.4.A.2f\|	821
Rear Direction indicators incorrect colour \|1.4.A.2f\|	810
Nearside Front suspension has excessive movement at a wishbone pin or bush \|2.5.A.1c\|	798
Rear Direction indicator incorrect colour \|1.4.A.2f\|	797
Service brake: efficiency below requirements \|3.7.B.7\|	797
Centre Exhaust system not adequately supported \|7.1.1\|	780
Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases \|7.1.2\|	776
Nearside Rear Wheel bolt\|s\| missing \|4.2.A.1e\|	769
Nearside Rear position lamp\|s\| not working \|1.1.A.3b\|	737
Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction \|8.2.1.2 \|h\|\|	732
Offside Front Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover excessively damaged so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt \|2.4.G.2\|	728
Offside Rear position lamp\|s\| not working \|1.1.A.3b\|	726
Hazard warning switch faulty \|1.4.B.1d\|	723
Offside Rear coil spring cracked \|2.4.C.1a\|	719
Nearside Front Headlamp not working on dipped beam \|1.7.5a\|	716
Offside Front Shock absorber has a serious fluid leak \|2.7.3\|	715
Nearside Front Wheel bolt\|s\| missing \|4.2.A.1e\|	715
Offside Rear Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak	695
Nearside Headlamp aim aimed so that it dazzles other road users \|1.8.A.1a\|	695
Offside Front Headlamp not working on dipped beam \|1.7.5a\|	686
Nearside Front Front suspension has excessive play in a lower suspension ball joint \|2.5.B.1a\|	679
Driver`s airbag obviously defective \|5.4.1\|	676
Offside front brake binding \|3.7.B.1\|	674
Offside Side repeater not working \|1.4.A.2c\|	673
Exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (8.2.1.2 (c))	659
Offside Front Front suspension has excessive play in a lower suspension ball joint \|2.5.B.1a\|	658
Nearside Headlamp not in good working order adversely affecting beam image \|1.2.4a\|	648
Nearside Side repeater not working \|1.4.A.2c\|	636
Nearside Rear Direction indicator not working \|1.4.A.2c\|	626
Windscreen wiper blade insecure	623
Emissions not tested \|7.0\|	608
Nearside Rear coil spring cracked \|2.4.C.1a\|	604
Brake hose damaged	599

We get to these numbers by trawling through over 1 billion MOT test results since 2004 and crunched the numbers. We remove anything to do with Tyres, as they are model independent and group together common non-model specific issues. We are trying to get to a picture of what models have what issues.

Please note: We take the data from the DVSA. This data is raw and can contain typos and spelling mistakes that garages may have entered while recording a MOT result. Specifically miss-match on names of models and makes. We are constantly cleaning the data so bear with the odd issue.

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MOT History from tests of petrol BMW 3-SERIESs year 2002

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