BMW 740d common problems and MOT failures
What goes wrong on a used BMW 740d, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 6,430 MOTs done during 2023–2025), and what to check before you buy one.
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).
What usually goes wrong with a BMW 740d?
We haven’t found widely reported faults for the BMW 740d 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 740d 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.
Drive shaft (CV) joints
up to 6.5× usualStands out on cars registered in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Rough price £60–£350 our estimateAt the viewing: Drive slowly on full steering lock in both directions and listen for clicking. Look for split rubber boots behind the front wheels.
BMW 740d MOT pass rate by year
Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2016 BMW 740d did best (89% passed first time, 12 points above all 2016 cars) and the 2018 did worst (88%, 5 points above all 2018 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.
| Year | Pass first time | All cars that year | MOT tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 94% | 87% +7 | 188 (small sample) |
| 2020 | 93% | 87% +6 | 514 |
| 2019 | 91% | 85% +6 | 1,075 |
| 2018 | 88% | 83% +5 | 1,423 |
| 2017 | 87% | 80% +7 | 1,033 |
| 2016 | 89% | 77% +12 | 1,063 |
| 2015 | 86% | 74% +12 | 174 (small sample) |
| 2014 | 89% | 70% +19 | 194 (small sample) |
| 2013 | 81% | 67% +14 | 122 (small sample) |
| 2012 | 83% | 64% +19 | 123 (small sample) |
| 2011 | 82% | 62% +20 | 202 (small sample) |
| 2010 | 81% | 60% +21 | 208 (small sample) |
| 2009 | 74% | 59% +15 | 111 (small sample) |
Questions to ask the seller before buying a BMW 740d
Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.
- Any recent work on the drive shaft (cv) joints? (Flagged at MOT 6.5× as often on the BMW 740d as on other cars the same age.)
- Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?
Looking at a BMW 740d?
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