2004 Honda Jazz 1.3L Petrol · DV04 HKJ

The 2004 Honda Jazz passed its most recent MOT on 25 September 2025 at 97,905 miles, but the record paints a picture of a car that has been kept on the road rather than actively maintained to a high standard. The maintenance trend is broadly stable yet stubbornly repetitive, with the same categories of faults appearing across multiple consecutive tests without ever being fully resolved. Corroded rear brake pipes and hoses, perished tyre sidewalls, worn suspension bushes, and deteriorated ball joint dust covers have been flagged every year since at least 2022. The tester noted on the 2025 pass that rear brake imbalance requirements were only just met, suggesting the braking system needs adjustment or repair, and corrosion to the offside sill was recorded as not yet significantly reducing structural rigidity. These are not fresh issues. They are long-standing advisories that have been monitored rather than fixed. At roughly 4,450 miles per year over 22 years, this is a low-mileage vehicle, and the MOT record supports that pattern. The car covered just 4,237 miles between October 2023 and September 2025, a two-year window. That is extremely light use, likely short urban trips or extended periods standing still. Low annual mileage can preserve mechanical components in some respects, but it also accelerates perishing of rubber bushes, dust covers, and tyre sidewalls due to age and lack of use rather than wear. The repeated tyre sidewall cracking and perishing advisories dating back to 2022 are consistent with a car that sits more than it drives. A buyer should focus their in-person inspection on the rear braking system and the structural underside of the car. The rear brake pipes and hoses have shown progressive corrosion across every test from 2023 through 2025, and the imbalance advisory in 2025 suggests calipers may be sticking or fluid flow is compromised. The offside sill corrosion noted in 2025 and the offside rear floor corrosion flagged in 2022 warrant a thorough check with a torch and probe to determine whether surface rust has progressed to perforation. Suspension top mount bushes, anti-roll bar linkage covers, and track rod end boots have been repeatedly flagged as worn or split, meaning the front end likely needs a fresh set of consumable rubber components before it becomes a failure point. The headlamp lenses have been hazy or defective on every test since 2022, which may seem cosmetic but directly affects beam aim and night-time visibility. Tyres should be checked for date codes as well as tread depth, given the recurring sidewall perishing that suggests the current set may be old stock.