petrolbloke

Not necessarily - MOT testers do have discretion on these things and the MOT tester might just be covering their arse. OTOH the car could have spent a lot of time near the coast and have more corrosion than is normal.

Charcoal canister.

The Golf R32 FARB is a common upgrade. You'll need the right size bushes (23mm IIRC), long drop links and front shocks with the drop link mounting point (like the VRS has). For the rear there are a number of aftermarket options I think.