2007 Ford Fiesta 1.2L Petrol · DN07 GLV

The defining mechanical concern with this 2007 Ford Fiesta is a clear pattern of corrosion-related deterioration and suspension/chassis wear that has escalated across successive MOT tests, culminating in a Major failure on 2025-11-10 for an excessively corroded offside rear brake pipe before the vehicle passed the following day with only a distorted wheel advisory. Over the four-year testing window shown, advisories have clustered around three core areas: front brake disc wear, front wheel bearing play, and rear coil spring corrosion. The 2022 test was particularly significant, recording three Major defects in a single examination, including an excessively worn offside front suspension arm bush, an engine oil leak, and a non-functioning offside front position lamp, alongside the now-familiar wheel bearing advisory. The 2023 retest addressed none of the underlying mechanical deterioration but reduced the position lamp issue to a minor wiper defect, leaving the brake, suspension, and corrosion advisories to carry forward unresolved. By 2025 the brake pipe corrosion had advanced to a Major failure category, suggesting the rust progression identified on the rear coil springs in 2023 was not isolated and that underbody corrosion is now an active risk rather than a cosmetic concern. With 90,831 miles recorded over approximately 19 years, this Fiesta averages around 4,780 miles per year, which is notably low for the age and indicative of either extended periods of light use or significant stationary intervals. The test record runs consecutively from 2021 through 2025 with no multi-year gaps, but the low annual mileage means many components, particularly rubber-based items such as suspension bushes, brake flexihoses, drive belts, and engine seals, will have aged chemically regardless of mileage accumulation. The oil leak recorded as a Major in 2022 is consistent with hardened seals and gaskets on a low-mileage, age-dominant vehicle rather than purely wear-related oil consumption, and the persistent wheel bearing play first flagged in 2022 and recurring through 2023 suggests a component that has been degrading steadily rather than one suffering from high-mileage fatigue. For a prospective buyer, the priority on inspection should be a thorough underbody and brake line examination with the vehicle raised, focusing particularly on the offside rear brake line area where the Major failure was recorded, as well as the offside rear inner wheel arch and rear coil spring mounting seats where corrosion was first noted. Any further corrosion scaling, blistering under the surface, or flaking along the brake pipes, fuel lines, or handbrake cable should be treated as immediate rectification work. On a test drive, listen for clonking or knocking from the offside front suspension over speed humps and uneven road surfaces, which would indicate the previously worn control arm bush has progressed or not been replaced, and feel for any vagueness or wandering in the steering that could point to further bush deterioration. Brake pedal feel should be assessed for sponginess, suggesting corroded brake lines restricting flow, and any pulling to one side under braking would warrant immediate investigation of the brake pipe integrity and caliper function. The recorded advisories for front brake disc lipping and offside front wheel bearing play provide a useful baseline for negotiation and inspection. On test, feel for a low-frequency rumble that changes with cornering loads, indicating the wheel bearing wear has progressed beyond advisory level, and check for brake judder through the steering wheel under firm braking to assess disc wear. With nineteen years of age, even though current mileage is modest, the buyer should factor in the cost of likely imminent suspension refresh work, brake pipe and potentially brake disc replacement, and a thorough check of all underbody structural mounting points, jacking points, and the rear subframe for corrosion that may not yet have been formally flagged but is consistent with the pattern shown in this MOT history.