Assume your MOT will look for the total ride height of a car only.
For further analysis, the process to find out wether the nitrogene sphere has gone is described in the workshop manual. Not very clear though.
I''ll try with my few english language skills.
Just imagine there are two spheres split by a sheet of rubber gasket and the upper with nitrogen has a pressure of about 20bar (360psi?)
Now the upper will push down the rubber sheet easy ... until you start to pump rock solid fluid against this 20bar to the other side. The more fluid you pump, the higher the rubber sheet will rise and the pressure will raise above 20bar . These final lets say 32Bar (420 psi) from the nitrogen provide the correct spring for our little car.
In our case it will reach max 40Bar (640 psi), but that's another story.
So what happens if the nitrogen escapes ?
Correct, the pressure drops from 20 bar to lets say 10 or 1 or less.
You need to pump in more and more fluid to fill the lost nitrogen space and finally there is no more spring, but fluid only and may be trapped airbubbles in the system.
So what can be done ?
Dead easy.
Get hands on a Schrader valve and affiliated thread cutter.
Drill a hole to the top of the unit. Find someone with lathe skills to make some thread studs from steel. Weld the stud to the Unit can carefully. Bolt on Schrader valve. Paint it for rust protection.
Pressurise with 360psi Nitrogen and be happy.
Or check the publifications of the MGCC / MGF Register for the company who currently builds up the business for this job.
(Need to look up)
Another source is known here
http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/2011/08/05/tech-recharging-maxi-spheres/
Back to the process.
As there is probably no nitrogene with initially 20 bar or less in a broken system, a pressure measuring will indicate what's up with it.
A unit needs to be connected as single unit to the pump. Then pump up and spot on the pressure raise while pumping. There must be a kind of delay time at about 20 bar. Means even you do pump strokes, the pressure stops raising. If so then the unit is fine.
In case you can pump and pump with no pressure delay time in that range and suddenly the pump blocks and pressure gauge kicks to maximum immidialtely then the is no nitrogene in the unit, but fluid only and no spring.
Anyone out there who got me ?