2018 Audi A4 2.0L Diesel · A21 JCY

A single Major defect on an otherwise unblemished seven-test record defines the mechanical character of this 2018 Audi A4, and that defect is worth taking seriously. On 4 September 2024 the vehicle failed its MOT on an Offside Rear Lower Coil spring recorded as fractured or broken, a structural component failure that would have made the car unsafe to drive beyond that point. The test two days later on 2 September shows the same coil spring defect date, suggesting the failure was identified, the car was not driven away, and the spring was replaced before the re-test was passed. Surrounding that incident the record is clean: passes with no advisories in 2021, 2023, 2025, and most recently on 24 June 2026, with only one other advisory in the entire history. The overall trend is therefore stable rather than deteriorating, but the broken rear spring is a meaningful data point that any buyer should weigh against the otherwise tidy paper trail. With 95,866 miles recorded over approximately eight years of life, the car is running at roughly 11,983 miles per year, which sits squarely within the typical range for a vehicle of this age and avoids any red flags associated with either very low or unusually high accumulation. There are no multi-year gaps in testing that would suggest extended periods off the road, and no recorded mileage anomalies, missing readings, or inconsistencies between tests that would warrant suspicion. Mechanically, this level of regular use means the consumables and wear items — brake pads and discs, tyres, suspension bushes and links, and drivetrain components — have been worked consistently rather than allowed to degrade through long static standing. That is generally favourable for the integrity of seals, gaskets, and lubricants, which suffer more from disuse than from moderate annual mileage. For a prospective buyer, the priority is to satisfy themselves that the rear coil spring failure in 2024 was a one-off and that no underlying issue persists. On a test drive, listen for any clonking or thumping from the rear suspension over uneven surfaces, particularly single bumps or speed humps, as a fractured or weak spring can allow the damper to bottom out or knock against the body. Pay attention to the ride height at the rear offside corner and check visually that the car sits level with no obvious sag. Broken rear springs on FWD-based transverse-engine platforms can occasionally be triggered by corroded spring seats or weakened mounts, so an inspection on a ramp to check for surface corrosion around the rear spring pans and damper top mounts is worthwhile, given the high road-salt exposure typical of UK winters and the vehicle's mileage. The lone advisory from August 2022 — a nearside rear tyre worn close to the legal limit and worn on the edge — is a useful reminder rather than a concern, but it does point towards the rear axle geometry being worth scrutiny. Edge wear on a single rear tyre can indicate a tracking issue, a slightly bent component, or uneven loading, and a buyer should ask when the geometry was last checked. On the road, any steering pull to one side, uneven steering return, or a vague off-centre feel would suggest a four-wheel alignment check is overdue. Beyond that, given the mileage and age, a thorough inspection of the front suspension arms, anti-roll bar links, drop links, and lower control arm bushes for play or perished rubber is sensible, along with a check of the brake discs for lipping and the brake pipes and underbody for any early signs of corrosion. The MOT record does not flag any of these, but they are the natural wear items that accumulate by this mileage on an A4 of this generation.