2008 Ssangyong Rexton 2.7L Diesel · RX08 AEJ

A consistent pattern of front suspension and steering wear sits at the centre of this Rexton's MOT history, with three of the recorded tests producing failures and multiple advisories flagging ball joints, track rod ends and lower arm pins or bushes. The most recent examination on 8 January 2022 produced a pass with only a minor defect noted for an inoperative nearside registration plate lamp, but that pass should be read alongside the 2020 results, where an initial test on 2 November 2020 failed on the offside front upper arm ball joint, the nearside rear lower arm pin or bush and a wiper ineffective on the windscreen, before a retest on 7 December 2020 passed with an advisory reappearing on the nearside rear upper suspension arm ball joint. Looking further back, a November 2018 test failed on a corroded and seriously weakened offside front lower wishbone, an offside front track rod end with excessive play and a dangerous offside rear tyre with ply or cords exposed, and an October 2019 retest after a wheel bearing and lower arm replacement failed again on the offside front lower arm pin or bush and the nearside front track rod end. The trend is therefore not one of a clean or improving record but of repeated front-end wear items returning test after test, suggesting the steering and suspension geometry should be the primary focus of any inspection. Against an 18-year vehicle age, the recorded 108,118 miles equates to roughly 6,000 miles per year, which is in line with typical use for a large SUV of this era and does not indicate either extended standing or particularly heavy motorway work. There is, however, a notable two-and-a-half-year gap between the November 2015 test and the October 2019 test during which no DVSA examinations are recorded, meaning any corrosion progression, underfloor deterioration or brake pipe deterioration during that period will not be reflected in the official history. Mileage accumulation between the recorded tests appears broadly consistent with the annual average rather than indicating short, high-mileage bursts, so consumable wear is more likely to be age- and road-surface-related than mileage-driven. For a prospective buyer, the front suspension and steering components should be the focus of both a physical inspection and a careful test drive. With advisories and failures across the upper and lower arms, ball joints, track rod ends and wheel bearings on both sides of the vehicle, particular attention should be paid to knocking or clonking from the front end over speed humps and uneven surfaces, vagueness or shimmy in the steering around the straight-ahead position, uneven or feathered tyre wear on the front pair indicating geometry misalignment, and any play when the front wheels are rocked by hand with the vehicle raised. The 2018 test also recorded the offside front lower wishbone as corroded and seriously weakened, so the offside front subframe, lower arm mounting points and any brake or fuel line clips in that area should be examined for advanced surface corrosion or flaking. On the nearside front, the 2019 failure on the track rod end ball joint warrants a check for looseness at the inner and outer joints and for any uneven tyre shoulder wear. The remaining advisories are individually minor but worth noting before purchase. Both rear wheel bearings were flagged with slight play in late 2018, so listen for a humming or droning noise that rises and falls with road speed and changes when cornering, as this would indicate whether further bearing wear has developed. The 2018 exhaust major leak from the middle box and the 2019 position lamp and 2020 rear fog lamp issues point to age-related electrical and exhaust deterioration; a cold start should be observed for any blowing sounds along the exhaust centre section, and all exterior lamps including the registration plate illumination should be checked with the ignition on. The 2015 advisory regarding a nearside front tyre starting to wear on the outer edge is consistent with the later suspension and tracking concerns, reinforcing the case for a four-wheel alignment and a thorough inspection of the front tyres for uneven shoulder wear before committing to purchase.