RAND(Squawk): October 2024

Monday, 14 October 2024

DNS fail causes strange behaviour

** Final Outcome as at 31 December 2024

It was rather annoying that we never actually got the very bottom of this problem. We had a full discovery exploration and examination of the problem but the best conclusion we could get to was something going wrong with the internal to the PC network software infrastructure. The external equipment router Wi-Fi, DNS servers was all proven to work during one of these outages by using a mobile phone (with mobile data service turned off) attached to the Wi-F. Was it asked having a temporary flip out? Was it something within Windows 10 ? - We never quite found out, which is rather annoying.

Since the trouble occurred at the beginning of December, we've have instigated the following two processes :

1) Reboot the pc every week

2) Reboot the router once a month.

It was interesting if for rather frustrating problem to explore. It's been a month of smooth running now for which we are very grateful.

The other routine procedure we do is plug-in an external hard drive and copy over the 10 most important business documents at the beginning of every month. This process supplements the file history mechanism built into Windows 10.

----------------

Original story

I do a bit of technical support for a small retail antique shop customer. Most of the most of the callouts are fairly routine but once in a while a strange little problem will appear. The symptoms of this issue are the inability of web browsers to reach webpages and sometimes Email connection failures (but not necessarily both at the same time). Firefox and Chrome are the two web browsers used to cross check web page connections.

Configuration is single BT broadband networking with BT Hub acting as a router. The connection from the PC to the hub is wired but the hub also provides a Wi-Fi service around the shop. There had been some account problems at BT but these been resolved. The PC has AVAST antivirus installed with a paid and up-to-date subscription.

When the particular occurs the Wi-Fi service still works correctly providing webpages and app updates. This would indicate that the problem is within the PC or connection to the hub. To confirm that the problem is directly within the PC the old-fashioned command line tools nslookup and ping were used. Also, the hub has a direct IP address to connect to obtain its status.

When the fault is *not* apparent both nslookup and ping work correctly.

During a failure the nslookup fails but the ping to an IP address works.

The AVST software thinks there is a total network failure but there is not. ( ping works )

During this time the Email service continues, probably because it has done the DNS look ups that are needed for the service during the time that DNS is working.

During a failure situation the windows network diagnostics indicates a DNS service failure. This diagnosis matches the behaviour (ping works) above and as such rules out total network connection failure.

Most telling the AVST service shows an ability to monitor DNS/DoH scanning.

This was disabled as part of the problem resolution process.

These are the network adapters showing. The AVAST Secureline is infrastructure for an unused VPN service.

When the system is rebooted, the network services typically recover but fail again within a few hours or days. But what we have here is an example of a specific DNS service failure. Either something is interfering with the DNS service or the DNS service itself is not functioning properly. I would think it's unlikely to be the latter because the Wi-Fi service continues unaffected during the time that this fault is occurring this lead to the conclusion that something on the machine itself is interfering with the DNS service.

As of 14 Oct 2024

The remediation process was to set the DNS servers for the network adapter in use to be the gold standard 8.8.8.8 (Google main service) and as back up 208.67.222.222 from OpenDNS. Also the DNS/DoH scanning was disabled ( as shown above). At this point, we are awaiting a recurrence of the issue. If the issue does not re occur, we will reenable DNS/DoH scanning and if after that the problem reoccurs we will be phoning up Avast fairly quickly to show them the problem we have.

The useful suggestion was made to use the ipconfig command to gather more details.

As of 21 October 2024

After a week of normal running, the same situation arose on Saturday morning. DNS had failed completely, but the network connections were still up as evidence by being able to ping an IP address. At this point IP config/was collected. The situation seem to be remedy by IP config/renew. However, the fix did not last long and soon failed with the same symptoms again. Only a full reboot restored normal service.

ifconfig while fault was occurring ....

C:\Users\pbpc>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : PB
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mixed
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : home

Unknown adapter SecureLine:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Avast SecureLine Wintun Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . :
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : home
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 44-8A-5B-CB-FC-93
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2a00:23c7:9c13:6b01:9639:1294:b919:fb95(Preferred)
Temporary IPv6 Address. . . . . . : 2a00:23c7:9c13:6b01:387e:c001:19a9:bde1(Preferred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::f6c7:9835:4ccd:6755%9(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.65(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 16 October 2024 09:30:17
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 20 October 2024 09:29:56
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::8e83:94ff:fe6f:6902%9
192.168.1.254
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.254
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 138709595
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-1B-FE-6A-E1-44-8A-5B-CB-FC-93
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fe80::8e83:94ff:fe6f:6902%9
8.8.8.8
208.67.222.222
fe80::8e83:94ff:fe6f:6902%9
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled
Connection-specific DNS Suffix Search List :
home

C:\Users\pbpc>nslookup hp.com
DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
Server: UnKnown
Address: fe80::8e83:94ff:fe6f:6902
DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
*** Request to UnKnown timed-out

C:\Users\pbpc>ping 17.253.144.10
Pinging 17.253.144.10 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 17.253.144.10: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=57
Reply from 17.253.144.10: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=57
Reply from 17.253.144.10: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=57
Reply from 17.253.144.10: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=57
Ping statistics for 17.253.144.10:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 16ms, Maximum = 16ms, Average = 16ms
C:\Users\pbpc>

After the ifconfig /renew

C:\Users\pbpc>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : PB
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mixed
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : home

Unknown adapter SecureLine:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Avast SecureLine Wintun Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . :
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : home
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 44-8A-5B-CB-FC-93
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2a00:23c7:9c13:6b01:9639:1294:b919:fb95(Preferred)
Temporary IPv6 Address. . . . . . : 2a00:23c7:9c13:6b01:387e:c001:19a9:bde1(Preferred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::f6c7:9835:4ccd:6755%9(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.65(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 16 October 2024 09:30:18
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 20 October 2024 12:19:01
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::8e83:94ff:fe6f:6902%9
192.168.1.254
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.254
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 138709595
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-1B-FE-6A-E1-44-8A-5B-CB-FC-93
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fe80::8e83:94ff:fe6f:6902%9
8.8.8.8
208.67.222.222
fe80::8e83:94ff:fe6f:6902%9
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled
Connection-specific DNS Suffix Search List :
home

C:\Users\pbpc>ping apple.com

Pinging apple.com [2620:149:af0::10] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 2620:149:af0::10: time=15ms
Reply from 2620:149:af0::10: time=15ms
Reply from 2620:149:af0::10: time=15ms
Reply from 2620:149:af0::10: time=16ms

Ping statistics for 2620:149:af0::10:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 15ms, Maximum = 16ms, Average = 15ms

C:\Users\pbpc>ping apple.com

Pinging apple.com [2620:149:af0::10] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 2620:149:af0::10: time=15ms
Reply from 2620:149:af0::10: time=15ms
Reply from 2620:149:af0::10: time=15ms
Reply from 2620:149:af0::10: time=15ms

Ping statistics for 2620:149:af0::10:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 15ms, Maximum = 15ms, Average = 15ms

C:\Users\pbpc>tracert 172.16.15.245

Tracing route to 172.16.15.245 over a maximum of 30 hops

1 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.254
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 * * * Request timed out.
4 * ^C
C:\Users\pbpc>tracert 172.16.15.245
^C
C:\Users\pbpc>ping 172.16.15.245

Pinging 172.16.15.245 with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Request timed out.

Ping statistics for 172.16.15.245:
Packets: Sent = 2, Received = 0, Lost = 2 (100% loss),
Control-C
^C
C:\Users\pbpc>ping apple.com

Pinging apple.com [2620:149:af0::10] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 2620:149:af0::10: time=38ms
Reply from 2620:149:af0::10: time=15ms
Reply from 2620:149:af0::10: time=15ms
Reply from 2620:149:af0::10: time=15ms

Ping statistics for 2620:149:af0::10:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 15ms, Maximum = 38ms, Average = 20ms

C:\Users\pbpc>tracert apple.com

Tracing route to apple.com [2620:149:af0::10]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 2a00:23c7:9c13:6b01:8e83:94ff:fe6f:6902
2 15 ms 14 ms 14 ms 2a00:2302::1102:203:50a
3 * * * Request timed out.
4 13 ms 13 ms 13 ms 2a00:2302::1102:100:3f
5 15 ms 16 ms * 2a00:2380:3014:9000::26
6 15 ms 16 ms 19 ms peer8-et0-1-5.telehouse.ukcore.bt.net [2a00:2380:14::77]
7 14 ms 13 ms 13 ms 2a00:2380:2001:8000::2d
8 15 ms 15 ms 15 ms icloud.com [2620:149:af0::10]

Trace complete.

C:\Users\pbpc>nslookup bbc.com
DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
Server: UnKnown
Address: fe80::8e83:94ff:fe6f:6902

DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
*** Request to UnKnown timed-out

C:\Users\pbpc>nslookup apple.com
DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
Server: UnKnown
Address: fe80::8e83:94ff:fe6f:6902

DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
*** Request to UnKnown timed-out

C:\Users\pbpc>

After a reboot at 13:30

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19045.5011]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\pbpc>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : PB
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mixed
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : home

Unknown adapter SecureLine:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Avast SecureLine Wintun Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . :
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : home
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 44-8A-5B-CB-FC-93
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2a00:23c7:9c13:6b01:9639:1294:b919:fb95(Preferred)
Temporary IPv6 Address. . . . . . : 2a00:23c7:9c13:6b01:5833:476e:d0ba:a1e(Preferred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::f6c7:9835:4ccd:6755%9(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.65(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 19 October 2024 13:14:39
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 20 October 2024 13:14:39
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::8e83:94ff:fe6f:6902%9
192.168.1.254
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.254
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 138709595
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-1B-FE-6A-E1-44-8A-5B-CB-FC-93
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fe80::8e83:94ff:fe6f:6902%9
8.8.8.8
208.67.222.222
fe80::8e83:94ff:fe6f:6902%9
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled
Connection-specific DNS Suffix Search List :
home

Wireless LAN adapter WiFi:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Qualcomm Atheros AR5BWB222 Wireless Network Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 30-10-B3-F1-5F-68
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 10:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 52-10-B3-F1-5F-68
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 11:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 12-10-B3-F1-5F-68
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 12:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 22-10-B3-F1-5F-68
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Ethernet adapter Bluetooth Network Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 30-10-B3-F1-76-10
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

The only difference in the Ipconfig output between before and after reboots is the Temporary IPv6 Address

% diff ipc_1.txt ipc_2.txt

29c29

< Temporary IPv6 Address. . . . . . : 2a00:23c7:9c13:6b01:387e:c001:19a9:bde1(Preferred)

---

> Temporary IPv6 Address. . . . . . : 2a00:23c7:9c13:6b01:5833:476e:d0ba:a1e(Preferred)

33,34c33,34

< Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 16 October 2024 09:30:17

< Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 20 October 2024 09:29:56

---

> Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 19 October 2024 13:14:39

> Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 20 October 2024 13:14:39

Still a bit stuck on this one. A cloud of suspicion hangs over the BT business hub 2 that is supposed to be providing network DNS services. However AVAST that does IP monitoring and provides VPN services brackets (not used brackets but still running processes the background) remains under that same cloud of suspicion.

Looks very similar Symptoms and occurrence rate to this issue "Smart Hub 2. Have to restart at least once a week because DNS Servers stop responding."

Avast VPN processes even thought the VPN option is switched off and inactive.

Notes on How DNS works on Windows

From the documentation:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2008-R2-and-2008/dd197552%28v=ws.10%29?redirectedfrom=MSDN

The DNS Client service queries the DNS servers in the following order:

The DNS Client service sends the name query to the first DNS server on the preferred adapter’s list of DNS servers and waits one second for a response.
If the DNS Client service does not receive a response from the first DNS server within one second, it sends the name query to the first DNS servers on all adapters that are still under consideration and waits two seconds for a response.
If the DNS Client service does not receive a response from any DNS server within two seconds, the DNS Client service sends the query to ALL DNS servers on ALL adapters that are still under consideration and waits another two seconds for a response.
If the DNS Client service still does not receive a response from any DNS server, it sends the name query to all DNS servers on all adapters that are still under consideration and waits four seconds for a response.
If it the DNS Client service does not receive a response from any DNS server, the DNS client sends the query to all DNS servers on all adapters that are still under consideration and waits eight seconds for a response.

If the DNS Client service receives a positive response, it stops querying for the name, adds the response to the cache and returns the response to the client.

If the DNS Client service has not received a response from any server within eight seconds, the DNS Client service responds with a timeout. Also, if it has not received a response from any DNS server on a specified adapter, then for the next 30 seconds, the DNS Client service responds to all queries destined for servers on that adapter with a timeout and does not query those servers.

If at any point the DNS Client service receives a negative response from a server, it removes every server on that adapter from consideration during this search. For example, if in step 2, the first server on Alternate Adapter A gave a negative response, the DNS Client service would not send the query to any other server on the list for Alternate Adapter A.

The DNS Client service keeps track of which servers answer name queries more quickly, and it moves servers up or down on the list based on how quickly they reply to name queries.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

This for fun ..... but seriously .. it matches this exact situation

.. and these are our exact symptoms, contact to specific IP address is fine but resolution to a name fails.

Thursday, 3 October 2024

MR2 Mk1 at 40 years - Survey Link to data dump and Image Bank

*** Data Dump updated 17 June 2025

This is the [Owner details names Redacted] data table for the MR2 Mk1 Survey of mostly UK cars. Dated 21 April 2025. See article for more details and summary. Mileage and MOT data from owner declaration of DVLA lookups.

If your UK based MR2 MK1 is not on the list or need a correction please email details and photo to Clive@Spikynorman.net with Subject "MR2 update". I am very interested in identifying which cars have superchargers or are (SE) Special edition. - Let me know.

See the Survey summary article here.

Use <cntl>f on a PC or <CMD>f on a Mac to find your car registration number. (No spaces in Reg number lookups)

Didn't find your car ? Add details via this form *** Details will be added to spreadsheet but won't show up on this page till new extract is done at end of month. ***

Data Dump Here. Index Last updated 17th June 2025. Mot data to March 2025 only

Click on Link or image below

Image Collection here ....

Updated Easter Monday 2025

MR2 Mk1, in the UK, at 40 years old - A review of known cars

Version 1.1 Wed 23rd Oct 2024

Version 2.9 on 14 January 2025 - Revised with latest numbers .. and typo reduction

This article was published in "Historic - Magazine of the FBHVC" issue 5 March 2025 by Clive England with Steve Earle.

The Toyota MR2 Mk1, produced between 1984 and 1989, is a compact, mid-engined two-seater that has delighted enthusiasts for decades. Now over 40 years old, the earliest examples are officially recognized as classic cars in the UK.

Neil Jones, a cornerstone of the MR2 community in South Wales, is renowned for his expertise in dismantling and supplying spare parts to keep MR2 Mk1s in running condition. Through his work, he encounters a wide spectrum of these cars, ranging from dilapidated wrecks to pristine examples—and everything in between. The question Neil hears most often is: “How many MR2 Mk1s are still on the road?”

To find an answer, Neil turned to his social media channels, scoured his detailed notebooks, and compiled a list of known MR2 Mk1s. As an MR2 owner myself, I had amassed a considerable collection of photos of these cars, mainly from shows and social media.

Nik Milford, representing the MR2 Drivers Club, contributed a list of 141 Mk1 registration numbers recorded with the club. Building on these sources, we incorporated galleries from the MR2 National Show for 2022, 2023, and 2024 to expand the dataset. To verify the roadworthiness and manufacturing details of individual cars, we used the UK’s official MOT and car tax check services. Additionally, we cross-referenced the results with raw MOT data obtained from the DVLA to validate the post-2005 population of MR2s.

Production data from the French MR2 Club estimates around 15,000 Mk1s were originally imported to the UK, while another source indicates over 18,000 UK registrations at the model's 2002 peak. Our survey ultimately identified approximately 650 cars, mostly UK-registered, though not all data was complete. Despite this, the survey represents a significant portion of the MR2 Mk1s currently in active ownership.

The surveyed cars span from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. When the exact year of registration was unknown, we used the vehicle’s registration letter as a proxy for dating. Notably, 53% of the surveyed cars (336 out of 629) were registered during the 1988–1989 period, near the end of the Mk1 production run.

However, some anomalies remain. Not all data is complete, vanity plates obscure original registration years, and foreign-registered cars lack UK-specific details. Despite these challenges, the survey provides valuable insights into the distribution and survival of this iconic model.

So, how many MR2 Mk1s are still on the road? The answer is nuanced. In the UK, roadworthiness requires compliance with specific legal standards, including valid MOT and road tax. Much of our survey data relied on owner declarations regarding road or off-road status. Cars attending recent MR2 Drivers Club National Shows were presumed to be roadworthy at the time.

While not definitive, this survey offers a detailed snapshot of the current MR2 Mk1 population and their enduring appeal among enthusiasts. A very few pristine cars have neither tax nor MOT but are in showroom condition. It was decided to go with the total of cars in “near road” status as the answer to the question. The entries SORN22, SORN23 etc are the ones that are SORNed but last had a recent MOT. For example SORN24 cars would have had their last MOT expire anytime during 2024. The blank and “not found” entries are assumed to be off the road as the car may either have been scrapped, exported or have a different registration number.

We can see from the above numbers that out of 607 cars listed (50 + 41 + 306 = 397 = 65 %) are either definitely on or very close to being on the road. Those reported as SORN cars were all checked to see if the most recently passed MOT was within two years of the current date. A further 34 cars last had valid MOTs in 2022 or were seen at the national show that year and could be considered to be “close to being on the road”. The cars of some preservation concern are those SORNed with the last MOT results a fail before 2022.

Features, mileages and condition

Blue Mica

The colour distribution of the survey cars shows that red is the most popular, 35%, followed by white, 31% and all the different shades of blue 21%. Black, silver and others making up the rest. The official blue cars were either known as B8B on early Mk1a's or helios blue or mica blue with some described as sky blue metallic, however DVLA listings just have blue. There is a fairly even split between sunroof (223 cars) and T-bar cars (209 cars) with just 23 examples having neither and 149 unknown. Amongst the survey 45 supercharger (unofficial imports) equipped cars and 5 special editions were discovered.

Light Blue on Mk1a known as B8B

Trying to access the condition of the remaining MR2 Mk1 population is based around two factors. Traditionally mileage is seen as an indicator of car condition but mileage makes the assumption that all cars deteriorate at the same time rate proportional to distance traveled. That may hold true for newer cars but by the time cars get to over 25 years old the storage and maintenance are bigger factors. The MOT results being a somewhat standardised test provides a better indicator for older cars.

Blue Helios

Only MOT data from late 2005 onwards is available electronically and from that we can see the date and result of the last recorded MOT tests. Each car is only represented once on this chart. The graph shows a rapid fall off of cars up to about 2012 then around a 100 cars per year parking up not to be seen again; many seeming to retire with an MOT pass. The last numbers from 2024 has 750 cars passing the MOT and 22 failing. These “MOTed in 2024” cars are the bulk of the surviving road-going population moving forward. Restoration work will bring back older previously failing examples but time and corrosion will fell a few more. The earliest Mk1 examples are now reaching 40 years old, the point at which an MOT test becomes optional but as most of the on the road cars are from later in the production era 1988-89 there will be a few more years of data to track cars this way.

MR2 Mk1 by the numbers, from the Full MOT data supplied by Steve Earle

751 – the number of Mk1s with a current MOT certificate in Dec 2024
478 – the number of Mk1s not on the survey list
1118 – the number of Mk1s whose most recent MOT was a failure
4209 – the number of Mk1s whose most recent MOT was a pass but has since lapsed
7319 – the number of Mk1s on the MOT database but with no MOT history (scrapped pre 2005?)
1 – the number of Mk1s converted to LPG
1 – the number of Mk1s converted to Electric
6 - the number cars DVLA has listed as Diesel (probably actually 0)
294,302 – the number of miles on the odometer of the highest mileage Mk1 still on the road
545 – the number of miles on the odometer of the lowest mileage car still on the road
704,088,579 – the total number of miles covered by all cars in the full MOT list
5 – the number of Mk1s still on the road with below 2,000 miles on the clock
14 - the number of Mk1s still on the road with over 200,000 miles on the clock
70 – the number of Mk1s with odometer readings in KM, (Possibly Japanese direct imports?)
4 – the number of Mk1s on a “Q” plate

• 352 – Number of Giga Bytes of MOT data analysed

There are 5 cars with over 200,000 declared miles. The car with the highest MOT mileage of 294,302 miles is F87 PYR as of 14th March 2024. The second highest recorded mileage car is owned by Nic Milford of the MR2 Drivers Club.

Toyota MR2 Mk1 at 40 years conclusions

The Survey and MOT data show the bulk of cars in the 100k-150k mileage range. The completion of that mileage and being nearly 40 years old, meant that most cars would need some mechanical and probably bodywork attention. However, from the examples seen at shows and events, many owners are willing to put in the investment needed to keep their examples on the road. One advantage of having an active online and show owners community is that many of the wrinkles and foibles of the MR2 Mk1 are well documented. The 750 Motor club MR2 race series also keeps a pool of expertise and enthusiasts engaged with the MR2 even if most have moved on to the Mk2 and Mk3 Roadster. $Date and result of last MOT test. Failed 1066 cars, Passed 4806 cars, Each car is one data point - Source Author \ Steve Earle MOT data$

This survey does favour active cars and club members. We conclude that 65% of surveyed cars are or have been recently on the road. However historically 13,392 cars listed in the full MOT data, of which 1070 had recent passed tests, being a possible overall 7.9 % total survival rate since the 1980s.

The Toyota MR2 community is flourishing from a social point of view with a very active nationwide drivers club and other well attended gatherings. To celebrate the 40th anniversary in 2024 there were three notable gatherings of cars. One event at Neil Jones's South Wales retreat, the annual MR2 Drivers club annual mid-year show at Ricoh arena and another at the Silverstone Classic festival where a track drive round was included. With a very active drivers club and people dedicated to providing spares and support, we all look forward to many more years of active ownership. In the media there have been a couple of CAR SOS and Wheeler Dealer appearances along with Eurovision 2023 (Australian song from Voyager.)

MR2 Mk1s at Silverstone 2024 Club roll out. - Credit Jakob Ebrey Photography info@jakobebrey.com

Every year the historic vehicle community is joined by more vehicles crossing over the 40 year classic car threshold. This survey has shown that, while not all cars survive to that age, there are many enthusiasts engaged in keeping what are now historic cars roadworthy.

How Many Left

The "How many left" website that uses official DVLA data contributes some other numbers. Showing approximately 6000 cars on SORN and 1,735 ( 35%) are currently still licensed but has little other data regarding actual road going status or features.

See the survey data here - To add or correct an entry email to Clive@SpikyNorman.net with MR2 in the subject line. Any more discovered cars will be added to the master listing as we go along.