2012 Citroen C4 1.6L Diesel · AV61 TNJ

A pattern of front-end steering wear, fractured coil springs, and worn braking components dominates the recorded DVSA history of this 2012 Citroen C4, indicating a chassis that has accumulated notable mechanical fatigue across its testing life. The most recent outcome on 9 February 2022 was a pass, but it followed immediately on from a fail recorded the day before at the same test station, which cited an excessively worn nearside track rod end ball joint alongside two headlamp aim defects flagged as presenter-only items and an inoperative number plate lamp. Prior to that, the vehicle passed on 28 January 2021 with advisories for thinning front brake pads and two front tyres worn close to the legal limit on their edges, while an earlier test on 25 January 2020 returned a clean pass with no advisories at all. Two deeper failures punctuate the history: on 12 February 2019 the car failed on a fractured offside front coil spring and dangerous rear brake pads measuring less than 1.5 mm thick, and on 23 January 2020 it failed on a fractured nearside rear coil spring. With five tests recorded since early 2018 and two outright failures plus multiple recurring advisories for brake wear and tyre condition, the record cannot be characterised as strong even though no test in the last four years has been lost on a structural corrosion item. The recorded mileage of 106,741 miles across roughly 14 years equates to an average accumulation of around 7,600 miles annually, which is broadly typical for a car of this age. There are no extended gaps between annual tests that would imply long periods off the road, and the testing cadence from 2018 through 2022 suggests the vehicle has been in regular use throughout. This steady, average-rate usage is consistent with the pattern of wear observed in the MOT data: components such as brake pads, brake discs, coil springs, and steering linkages have all reached end-of-life thresholds within the recorded period, which is the expected mechanical outcome for a chassis of this age and mileage rather than evidence of premature failure. The wear rate appears proportionate, though the fact that two coil springs have failed within twelve months of each other is worth noting as it can sometimes indicate that the remaining springs are approaching a similar fatigue threshold. For a prospective buyer, the steering and suspension components flagged in this history should be the primary focus of any physical inspection and test drive. The track rod end ball joint that failed in February 2022 should be verified as having been replaced with a quality part, and the surrounding linkages including the inner track rods, wishbone bushes, and anti-roll bar drop links should be checked for perished rubber or excess play by rocking each front wheel with the car raised. Given that both front and rear coil springs have fractured on different sides, the remaining springs should be inspected for signs of corrosion pitting or sagging, and a test drive over uneven surfaces should be carried out with the windows down to listen for any clonking from the front struts or rear beam bushes. The brake system requires particular scrutiny: the dangerous rear pad finding in 2019 and the subsequent advisories for front pad wear and pitted rear discs indicate that caliper sliders, guide pins, and the condition of the discs themselves should be physically examined, while a firm pedal feel with no judder under braking and no pulling to one side should be confirmed on the road. Tyre wear on both front edges, recorded in 2019 and again in 2021, is worth investigating as it can point to misalignment, worn suspension bushes, or sagging springs altering the camber geometry. The nearside front outer tyre damage noted in 2021 should be checked for any sidewall repair or renewed tread on the current tyres. The persistent registration plate lamp defect across three consecutive tests suggests either a corroded multi-lamp unit or a loose electrical connection that may still be unresolved, and both headlamp aim patterns should be verified against a flat surface to confirm the presenter-only defects from 2022 were corrected. Finally, the advisory for a missing coolant cap from February 2022 is a minor item but worth confirming has been replaced, as an open or incorrect cap can allow coolant loss and air ingress into the cooling system, both of which are common concerns on a Citroen of this era and would warrant a check of coolant level and a watch for any temperature irregularities during the test drive.