2012 KIA Optima 1.7L Diesel · DN62 FML

A consistent thread of front suspension wear and rear brake disc deterioration runs through the MOT record of this 2012 Kia Optima, suggesting a car whose undercarriage has reached the stage where rubber and metal components are beginning to demand attention. The most recent test on 23 March 2026 passed with no advisories, which on the surface suggests a clean bill of health, yet looking back to the September 2025 test there were four advisories raised, including slight play in the nearside front lower suspension arm ball joint, play in the nearside rear anti-roll bar linkage, a cut on the offside rear tyre, and a parking brake that only just met the minimum efficiency requirement. The 2024 and 2022 tests add further weight to this picture, with repeated advisories on front brake pipe corrosion, slight play in the nearside front lower ball joint, steering rack inner joint play, rear brake disc wear, and trailing arm bushes on both sides. The single failure in August 2023 was advisory-led rather than a structural or safety catastrophe, but it did flag long travel on the parking brake lever and pitted rear brake discs, reinforcing the pattern of rear braking and handbrake components ageing together. Covering 119,080 miles across fourteen years equates to an average accumulation of roughly 8,500 miles per year, which sits comfortably within expected parameters for a privately used family saloon of this era. The testing cadence is fairly regular with annual entries from 2022 onwards, and the mileage progression across the recorded tests is consistent and gradual rather than showing any unusual jumps or long off-road gaps. There is no evidence of prolonged standing, nor any indication of exceptionally high motorway mileage that would accelerate specific wear patterns. Mechanically, this kind of steady usage on a mid-life Optima means consumables such as brake pads, discs, tyres and bushes will have been worked at a normal rate, and the components now beginning to flag are doing so at a mileage broadly in line with what one would expect from the suspension and braking systems of a 2012-era vehicle. A prospective buyer should focus their physical inspection on the front suspension geometry, as the nearside lower ball joint has been flagged for play in two consecutive tests and the nearside front upper anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover was noted as severely deteriorated in 2022. On a test drive, listen for clonks or knocks from the front end over speed humps and uneven B-road surfaces, and pay particular attention to any vagueness or knocking through the steering wheel, as the steering rack inner joint play advisory from 2024 warrants checking for looseness when turning lock to lock at low speed. The rear of the car deserves equal scrutiny: the trailing arm bushes on both sides were flagged as worn in 2024, and the rear brake discs have been noted for pitting and wear across three consecutive tests, so any judder under braking, particularly from the rear, or any tendency for the rear wheels to hop over rough surfaces would suggest these components have progressed beyond advisory stage. The handbrake also warrants a hill-start check, given that its efficiency has only just met the threshold and the lever travel was flagged as long in 2023. The brake pipe corrosion advisories from 2022 and 2024 are worth examining carefully during a physical inspection, as pipes coated in grease or underseal can mask active corrosion. Ask to see the brake lines along their full length, particularly the nearside front and offside front sections, and look for any swelling, flaking, or rust bleeding through joints and fixings. Tyre condition should be checked against the advisory history, with particular attention to the offside rear for cuts and the offside front inner edge for uneven wear, which may point to geometry misalignment following suspension component wear. Finally, given the rear brake disc wear pattern, budget for a rear disc and pad replacement in the near term if the discs measure at or close to the discard thickness, and consider having the parking brake mechanism adjusted or the cables inspected to address the marginal efficiency recorded at the last two tests.