Used car guide · 2005–2010

BMW 630i common problems and MOT failures

What goes wrong on a used BMW 630i, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 8,264 MOTs done during 2023–2025), and what to check before you buy one.

8,264MOTs done in 2023–2025, all years of this model
2008best year at its MOT

Pick the year

Most years have their own guide. The year is when the car was first registered (it’s on the logbook, or check the reg below).

201020092008200720062005

What usually goes wrong with a BMW 630i?

We haven’t found widely reported faults for the BMW 630i in the UK buying guides we use yet. That doesn’t mean it has none, so check the car carefully and look at the MOT weak spots below.

Common BMW 630i MOT failures to check

Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age, in more than one year. From the DVSA’s results for every MOT done in Great Britain during 2023–2025.

  • Link ball joint covers

    up to 2.1× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2005 and 2008.

    Rough price £60–£150 (one joint) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for knocking over bumps and check the rubber boots behind the wheels aren't split.

BMW 630i MOT pass rate by year

Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2008 BMW 630i did best (75% passed first time, 18 points above all 2008 cars) and the 2005 did worst (67%, 10 points above all 2005 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.

YearPass first timeAll cars that yearMOT tests
201082%60% +22176 (small sample)
200977%59% +18332 (small sample)
200875%57% +181,179
200773%57% +162,119
200671%56% +152,649
200567%57% +101,809

Questions to ask the seller before buying a BMW 630i

Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.

  1. Any recent work on the link ball joint covers? (Flagged at MOT 2.1× as often on the BMW 630i as on other cars the same age.)
  2. Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at a BMW 630i?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, whether it already shows these weak spots and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Where this comes from: MOT figures are the DVSA’s anonymised results for every MOT test done in Great Britain during 2023–2025, grouped by the year each car was first registered. How many are on the road is from the Department for Transport’s vehicle licensing statistics. Known faults are from UK buying guides, in our own words, with links. How we score