2012 Nissan Qashqai 1.5L Diesel · BJ12 KVM

The most recent MOT, dated 13 August 2025, was a pass but flagged two serious items: the nearside front tyre was worn close to the legal limit and the steering rack inner joints showed play on both the nearside and off‑side. A failure recorded a year earlier (16 August 2024) highlighted excessive play in the nearside front track‑rod end ball joint and slight play in the nearside lower suspension ball joint. The recurrence of steering‑rack and ball‑joint play indicates a developing suspension/steering wear problem rather than an isolated fault. Overall the MOT trend is not improving; after a clean 2023 pass the car moved to a failure in 2024 and now carries lingering steering‑rack wear in 2025. The pattern suggests that the suspension and steering components are progressively losing tolerance and may need replacement soon. At 191,361 mi for a 14‑year‑old Qashqai the mileage works out to roughly 13,600 mi per year – well above the average for this model. This high utilisation points to significant wear on consumables such as tyres, brakes, bushings and drivetrain parts, and it reduces the remaining life of wear‑items. It also means that any latent issues are likely to surface earlier than on a low‑mileage example. For a buyer the first checks should be: Inspect the front tyres for tread depth, side‑wall condition and even wear. Test the steering for any looseness, clunking or vibration, especially at low speeds and when turning sharply.