2015 Vauxhall Astra 1.6L Diesel · DV65 ENX

The most recent MOT was on 2026-01-23 — just over five months ago — and it passed, but with a serious tyre defect: the nearside front tyre worn close to the legal limit (2mm tread depth) and showing edge wear. That same tyre defect appeared in the failed MOT eight days earlier, alongside oil leaking excessively from the engine, missing rear reflector, and inoperative registration plate lamp. This vehicle shows a clear pattern of recurring safety-critical defects: tyre wear, suspension failure (fractured nearside rear coil spring in Jan 2025), and now engine oil leakage. The coil spring failure was repaired before the next test, but the oil leak was not resolved before the January 2026 pass — meaning it was either temporarily fixed or overlooked. The presence of both tyre edge wear and oil leakage suggests possible alignment issues or underlying suspension wear that hasn’t been fully addressed. The trend is worsening. Two consecutive MOTs in early 2026 recorded the same tyre defect; the prior year brought a major suspension failure; and now an active oil leak has entered the record. There’s no evidence of systematic remediation — just reactive fixes for test-day compliance. At 180,485 miles and 11 years old, this car has averaged ~16,400 miles per year — significantly above the UK average. This strongly points to sustained, heavy use rather than intermittent or low-intensity driving.