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MOT advisory explained

“Shock absorbers has light misting of oil”

Recorded on 2,270 of the 25,257 cars checked on this site. Every time it was an advisory.

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Cars with it
2,270
of 25,257 checked
Share of cars
9.0%
at least once
Recorded as
Advisory
100% of 3,702 visits
Back next time
27%
of 2,968 follow-up visits

What it means

Shock absorbers are filled with oil. This note means the tester saw a light film of oil on the outside of one, which is seepage and not a serious leak.

It is an advisory. A shock absorber with a serious fluid leak, or one that has stopped damping, is recorded as a failure.

How it shows up in the records

Advisory 100%
27% came back
The same entry, on the same part of the car, was recorded again at the next test in 27% of cases.
53,545 miles
Median recorded mileage when it first appeared, on cars a median of 6 years old. From the 648 cars whose whole MOT history is recent enough to compare.

Share of cars with this entry, by year of manufacture

5.2%1971–7313%1980–8215%1983–8511%1986–8813%1989–919.1%1992–9413%1995–9712%1998–0014%2001–0312%2004–0617%2007–0916%2010–1212%2013–156.4%2016–183.8%2019–211.4%2022–24

Models where it is recorded most

ModelCars with itShareSame-age cars
Ferrari 45614 of 2070%12%
Vauxhall Adam14 of 2654%8.6%
SEAT Leon52 of 10350%7.8%
Skoda Yeti15 of 3247%12%
Skoda Octavia30 of 7639%9.0%
Volkswagen Golf146 of 36540%10%
Ford KA23 of 6535%12%
Audi A516 of 5728%9.1%

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

  • Read the later MOT tests to see whether the note came back or became a 'serious fluid leak' failure.
  • Push down firmly on each corner of the car and let go. It should rise and settle without bouncing.
  • Look at the body of each shock absorber with a torch for wet oil.
  • Ask for an invoice if the seller says they were replaced, and whether both on the axle were done.

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 brokenCoil spring corrodedSuspension 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.