2015 Renault Trafic 1.6L Diesel · DP65 NLE

The defining mechanical narrative for this Trafic centres on a persistent pattern of front-end component wear and tyre edge wear, with the most recent activity on 20 August 2026 confirming continued concerns in these areas. A clean pass was recorded after a fail two days earlier on 18 August 2026, which flagged a major defect for the driver's door not latching securely closed alongside the same nearside front tyre edge wear advisory seen at the pass. The earlier sequence shows a pass with no defects in 2025, an advisory for nearside front anti-roll bar pin or bush wear in 2024, dual front tyre edge wear advisories in 2023, a clean pass in 2022, rear tyre edge wear in 2021, and front anti-roll bar linkage ball joint play with front brake pads wearing thin in 2019. The recurring nature of the suspension advisories on the front anti-roll bar hardware, combined with repeated nearside and offside front tyre edge wear across multiple tests, points to a chassis and steering geometry issue rather than isolated component ageing. Recorded mileage stands at 111,922 miles over an 11-year life, equating to roughly 10,175 miles per year, which sits close to the typical annual accumulation for a working van of this age. The MOT record covers 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, with a gap between the December 2019 test and the August 2021 test, suggesting the vehicle may have been off the road or untested during the 2020 period, possibly linked to pandemic-related MOT extensions. There are no recorded mileages on the MOT certificates to cross-reference, so cumulative wear cannot be traced year on year, but the steady annual usage indicated by the test dates suggests the drivetrain and running gear have been worked consistently rather than left idle. For a turbo-diesel commercial vehicle at this mileage, clutch, dual-mass flywheel, turbo, injector condition become increasingly relevant considerations regardless of MOT outcome. For a prospective buyer, the front suspension and steering wear pattern warrants close physical inspection, particularly of the anti-roll bar drop links, bushes and pin connections, which have appeared as advisories in both 2019 and 2024. On a test drive, listen for clonks or knocking from the front end over speed humps and uneven surfaces, and feel for any vagueness or rattle through the steering wheel that would indicate the ball joint play has progressed beyond acceptable tolerance. The door latch failure on the 18 August 2026 test should be confirmed as fully rectified, ideally by checking that the door shuts firmly with a positive secondary engagement and does not show any signs of striker misalignment, hinge wear, or body distortion around the A-pillar. The persistent nearside front tyre edge wear, noted in 2023 and again in 2026, suggests either camber deviation, worn front suspension bushes allowing geometry shift, or a tendency to follow cambered roads heavily, so a four-wheel alignment check is advisable and the buyer should inspect the inner tread shoulders for feathering or step wear. The 2019 advisory for front brake pads wearing thin indicates the pads were approaching replacement at that point, and given the mileage accumulated since, the discs and pads should be physically inspected for lipping, surface corrosion, and remaining friction material thickness. Brake pedal feel should be firm and progressive without excessive travel, and any judder under heavy braking would suggest disc distortion worth addressing. The rear tyre edge wear advisory from 2021, combined with the front-end findings, makes a full geometry and suspension health check prudent before purchase. Finally, given the working-van usage profile and high mileage, a compression test, inspection for oil leaks from the turbo and sump, and a check of the clutch for slipping or judder under load would all form sensible due diligence alongside the documented MOT findings.