2016 Subaru Forester 2.0L Diesel · BF16 SXE

The 2016 Subaru Forester presents a mixed mechanical picture. The most recent MOT, conducted on 5 August 2025 at 79,752 miles, passed, but the record immediately preceding it tells a different story. On 4 August 2025, just one day prior and at virtually the same mileage of 79,751, the vehicle failed on two distinct items: a fractured or broken nearside rear coil spring and slight play in the offside front outer suspension arm ball joint. The fact that an advisory for that same ball joint play carried over into the very next day's pass suggests the component was not replaced but rather the retest focused on the rectified spring. This pattern indicates a reactive maintenance approach rather than a proactive one. The trend is not cleanly stable or worsening, but it does show that a significant structural suspension failure occurred extremely recently. The mileage accumulation of roughly 8,000 miles per year is entirely typical for a vehicle of this age and does not raise immediate concern. However, the data reveals a notable gap. Between the clean pass on 3 September 2024 at 67,544 miles and the failure on 4 August 2025 at 79,751 miles, the car covered approximately 12,200 miles in just under eleven months. This represents a sharp increase in annualised usage compared to the prior years, which saw a steady 5,000 to 6,000-mile annual increment. A buyer should be aware that this sudden spike in mileage may have accelerated wear on consumable components like brake discs, tyres, and drivetrain mounts that the MOT does not always capture in a binary pass or fail. A prospective buyer must inspect the nearside rear suspension carefully. A fractured coil spring is a serious structural failure, not a minor wear item. Even though it was reportedly repaired for the August 2025 retest, the root cause of the fracture, whether it was fatigue, corrosion, or impact damage, needs professional verification. The offside front suspension arm ball joint with slight play is an advisory that has persisted. This should be physically checked for deterioration, as excessive play will cause uneven tyre wear and destabilise the front-end geometry. The sudden increase in mileage also warrants a thorough inspection of the exhaust system for corrosion, the brake lines for chafing, and the underside for any signs of rust or damage that a year of heavier use may have exposed or worsened.