Shock absorber leaking on the BMW 3 Series
Shock absorber leaking on the BMW 3 Series is recorded on 126,603 tests — 9.7% of all its MOT tests, against 3.9% across every car in the data. That is 2.5× the national share.
Is this unusual for this model?
| Compared with | What it says |
|---|---|
| Every car in the data | 3.9% of tests record it — this model is 2.5× that share |
| The 364 models compared | 20 of 364, highest first |
| The model's own record | 1,302,681 tests · every year of the 3 Series → |
A share of tests is not a probability for your car: it counts every BMW 3 Series tested, whatever its mileage, service history and use. The like-for-like comparison on the model page is the fairer number.
Year by year
In 2000, 2.2% of this model's tests recorded it; in 2020, 0.3%. The share has fallen 1.9 points over that time. Worst year 2011 at 5.7%; best 2020 at 0.3%.
| Year | Failures recorded | Tests | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 606 | 28,011 | 2.2% |
| 2001 | 1,121 | 53,409 | 2.1% |
| 2002 | 1,545 | 82,704 | 1.9% |
| 2003 | 2,051 | 107,046 | 1.9% |
| 2004 | 2,334 | 101,322 | 2.3% |
| 2005 | 3,966 | 133,011 | 3.0% |
| 2006 | 7,446 | 207,462 | 3.6% |
| 2007 | 11,137 | 279,477 | 4.0% |
| 2008 | 10,888 | 243,507 | 4.5% |
| 2009 | 14,075 | 250,350 | 5.6% |
| 2010 | 15,195 | 278,706 | 5.5% |
| 2011 | 17,011 | 299,553 | 5.7% |
| 2012 | 12,989 | 352,839 | 3.7% |
| 2013 | 8,652 | 348,123 | 2.5% |
| 2014 | 6,467 | 313,905 | 2.1% |
| 2015 | 4,134 | 309,489 | 1.3% |
| 2016 | 4,283 | 246,489 | 1.7% |
| 2017 | 488 | 36,585 | 1.3% |
| 2018 | 1,283 | 56,790 | 2.3% |
| 2019 | 862 | 115,806 | 0.7% |
| 2020 | 58 | 21,502 | 0.3% |
Years with fewer than 0.2% of tests recording the item are left out: a year with two failures in 400 tests is noise, and this table is not here to make noise look like a trend.
What it costs
A typical UK repair for this item is £30–£75 fitted. It is a job a careful owner can do at home. What the part is, and what to buy →
Prices are typical UK supply-and-fitting estimates, not quotes. What happens if it fails covers the retest rules.
Where this sits
- Shock absorber leaking: every model, every year → — the item's own page, with the part guide.
- BMW 3 Series MOT pass rate by year → — the model's whole record, and what else it fails on.
- Every BMW model →