2007 Audi A5 3.0L Diesel · CB57 CEB

A fractured offside front coil spring in March 2019 stands out as the defining mechanical event in this Audi A5's recorded history, a failure that required repair before the car passed a retest the following day. Beyond that, the record shows a recurring brake-related theme: front brake discs flagged as worn, pitted or scored across three consecutive tests from 2018 through 2021, rear discs similarly noted in 2018, and an offside rear brake imbalance that only just met requirements in September 2018, when the car also failed initially for an insufficient windscreen washer supply before passing the same day. The most recent recorded test, on 29 March 2022, was a pass with only minor advisories concerning a stiff offside front door interior handle and an illuminated MIL lamp on a vehicle older than the applicable requirement. Critically, no MOT results exist after March 2022, meaning over four years of the car's recent life are entirely undocumented, and its current roadworthiness cannot be inferred from this record alone. At 112,002 miles over roughly nineteen years, the car has averaged around 5,900 miles per year, which is low for its age. The test dates themselves hint at irregular use: the 2017 test occurred in August, the 2018 tests in September, and from 2019 onwards testing settled into a March pattern, suggesting the car has not been in constant daily service throughout its life. Low annual mileage on a car of this type often correlates with the kind of wear seen here, namely brake discs that corrode and pit from standing rather than wearing thin through use, and a fractured coil spring on a lightly used car is consistent with age-related fatigue and corrosion rather than high-mileage stress. The four-year absence of any test since 2022 raises the possibility of the vehicle being off the road for an extended period, which would warrant particular scrutiny of anything rubber, hydraulic, or corrosion-prone before purchase. On a test drive, the braking system deserves the closest attention given its repeated appearance in the record. Feel for judder or pulsing through the pedal and steering wheel under moderate braking, which would indicate the front discs remain scored or have warped, and listen for grinding or scraping that suggests heavy corrosion on the disc faces. Test the rear brakes on a quiet road with a firm stop from speed, noting any pull to one side, as the 2018 imbalance advisory points to a possible sticking or seized rear caliper on the offside, a common consequence of infrequent use. The handbrake should also be checked for holding power on an incline, since rear caliper issues often affect it. The repaired front coil spring should be inspected for the quality of the repair and, importantly, the nearside spring should be examined for matching corrosion, as springs on the same axle tend to fail in pairs. Listen for knocking or clonking over uneven surfaces that could indicate tired suspension bushes or drop links, and check the tyres for edge wear matching the 2020 advisories, which can also signal alignment or suspension geometry issues. The illuminated MIL noted in 2022 should be investigated with a diagnostic scan to establish whether a fault persists, and the stiff interior door handle is worth verifying as a minor but real defect. Finally, given the gap in testing since 2022, a full inspection of brake lines, suspension components, and the exhaust for corrosion is strongly advised before any commitment, ideally alongside confirmation of why the car has not been tested in over four years.