2014 Vauxhall Astra 1.7L Diesel · DP14 RZV

The 2014 Vauxhall Astra presents a mixed maintenance picture with a recent pass that masks a troubled history. The most recent test on 17 December 2025 at 154,185 miles passed, but only after the vehicle failed just thirteen days earlier on 4 December 2025 at 154,130 miles with a serious list of defects. The December 2025 failure reveals a vehicle that was in poor mechanical condition, including fractured front suspension, failed shock absorbers, a major exhaust leak, and a missing wheel nut. The subsequent pass suggests urgent repairs were carried out to achieve compliance, but the underlying care pattern raises concerns about whether this was a one-off neglect or a symptom of deeper issues. The mileage accumulation tells its own story. At roughly 12,849 miles per year, this Astra has been driven hard for its age. Between November 2023 and November 2024, the car covered approximately 7,569 miles, and then in the thirteen months from November 2024 to December 2025 it accumulated 8,511 miles, indicating sustained high use. The narrow five-day gap between the December 2025 fail and pass, with only 55 miles added, points to a garage visit specifically to rectify the failures rather than genuine ongoing maintenance. A clean pass in November 2024 at 145,674 miles shows the car can pass without advisories, making the December 2025 failure more concerning as a lapse in upkeep. Prospective buyers should examine the front suspension closely. The December 2025 failure flagged a fractured offside front coil spring and both front shock absorbers with negligible damping effect, yet the subsequent pass contains no advisory on either item. This means replacement parts were fitted, but the quality and specification of those parts cannot be verified from the record alone. Inspect the front sub-frame for corrosion, which was noted as corroded but not seriously weakened in November 2023 at 138,105 miles, and check whether that corrosion has progressed given the additional 16,000 miles since. The rear suspension was flagged for corrosion in the December 2025 failure, so a thorough underbody inspection is essential. The braking system demands equal scrutiny. Both front brake discs were flagged as worn, pitted, or scored in both the December 2025 fail and the December 2025 pass, meaning they were deemed acceptable but marginal. With 154,185 miles on the clock, expect consumable wear to be ongoing, but the pitting suggests discs may have been run beyond their service life. The TPMS warning lamp, present in both November 2024 and December 2025, indicates a persistent fault with the monitoring system that may mask real tyre pressure issues. Given the missing front wheel nut flagged in December 2025, verify all wheel fixings are present and torqued correctly before driving. The exhaust system had a major leak at the December 2025 failure, so check for fresh welds or replacement sections and listen for blow-by noise under load.