2010 Volkswagen Crafter 2.5L Diesel · EU10 AEZ

The most recent MOT, conducted on 5 March 2026 at 104,202 miles, shows a pass, but only after a failure on the same day at 104,196 miles. The initial failure flagged an excessively worn nearside front lower suspension arm ball joint, a non-functioning 13-pin trailer socket, and incorrect headlamp aim. These were rectified before the afternoon retest, where only minor advisories remained: slight play in the offside front lower ball joint, worn front anti-roll bar D-bushes, and both front tyres worn close to the legal limit on their inner edges. The maintenance trend is broadly stable but reveals a pattern of deferred wear items. The tester identified the ball joint as excessively worn in the morning, yet only slight play was noted on the offside side in the afternoon, suggesting a targeted repair rather than a comprehensive front-end overhaul. The recurring tyre wear pattern, noted in both the 2025 and 2026 tests, points to persistent alignment or suspension geometry issues that have not been permanently resolved. The mileage progression tells a story of changing use. Between the February 2025 test at 87,925 miles and the March 2026 test at 104,202 miles, the vehicle covered 16,277 miles in just over a year. This is a significant jump from the previous interval, where it took a full year to add 10,051 miles, moving from 77,874 miles in March 2024 to 87,925 miles in February 2025. The recent surge in mileage accumulation indicates the vehicle is now in active, heavier service, which accelerates wear on consumables and places greater stress on the suspension and braking components already flagged in the history. A buyer must inspect the front suspension with extreme diligence. The repeated advisories for worn anti-roll bar bushes and ball joint play, culminating in the March 2026 failure for an excessively worn nearside ball joint, suggest the entire front-end assembly is approaching the end of its service life. The inner-edge tyre wear is a classic symptom of excessive toe-out or worn suspension bushes, and the fact that it has recurred after an MOT implies the underlying cause was not fixed. The offside rear brake disc was noted as worn and pitted in 2025, and with the recent jump in mileage, a thorough check of all brake discs, pads, and calipers for binding or uneven wear is essential. The 2025 failure for an inoperative engine MIL and rear fog lamp also raises questions about the vehicle's electrical health and whether intermittent faults have been properly diagnosed rather than simply reset.