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MOT advisory explained

“Coil spring corroded”

Recorded on 1,703 of the 25,257 cars checked on this site. It was an advisory 99.4% of the time.

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Cars with it
1,703
of 25,257 checked
Share of cars
6.7%
at least once
Recorded as
Advisory
99.4% of 2,953 visits
Back next time
37%
of 2,276 follow-up visits

What it means

This note means the tester saw rust on a coil spring that had not cracked or broken.

It is an advisory, which does not fail the car by itself. A spring found fractured or broken is a failure.

How it shows up in the records

Advisory 99.4%Fail 0.6%
37% came back
The same entry, on the same part of the car, was recorded again at the next test in 37% of cases.
59,329 miles
Median recorded mileage when it first appeared, on cars a median of 8 years old. From the 196 cars whose whole MOT history is recent enough to compare.

Share of cars with this entry, by year of manufacture

6.9%1971–733.7%1980–828.7%1983–853.5%1986–8811%1989–919.1%1992–9411%1995–9712%1998–0014%2001–0312%2004–0619%2007–0915%2010–128.5%2013–152.4%2016–180.3%2019–210.0%2022–24

Models where it is recorded most

ModelCars with itShareSame-age cars
Fiat Punto13 of 2259%13%
Suzuki Alto13 of 2357%13%
Peugeot 20710 of 2343%16%
Maserati 3200GT12 of 3238%13%
Ford KA20 of 6531%10%
Nissan Micra34 of 11530%9.8%
Toyota Verso11 of 4226%7.3%
Fiat 50045 of 17626%7.2%

Models with 20 or more cars checked here. “Same-age cars” is the share among all checked cars built in the same years, so an older model is compared with older cars.

What to check before you buy

  • Check the later MOT tests for 'coil spring fractured or broken' on the same corner.
  • Look at the springs with a torch, especially the bottom coils where they sit in their seats, for flaking rust.
  • Ask whether any springs have been replaced since the advisory, and for the invoice.
  • Check that the car sits level from side to side on flat ground.

Cars checked here with this entry

Other suspension entries explained

Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movementCoil spring fractured or brokenShock absorbers has light misting of oilSuspension arm ball joint excessively wornSuspension arm ball joint has slight playAnti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirtAnti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight playShock absorbers has a serious fluid leakSuspension arm ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated

Checking a car with this on its MOT?

Repair costs depend on the car, so this page does not quote one. Enter the plate and the free report estimates them for that car, alongside every test and advisory on its record.

Check a car’s MOT history

Counts are of cars checked on this site, from official public records. Updated 19 Sept 2026 · figures as of 4 Oct 2026. All MOT entries explained.