2011 Renault Kangoo 1.5L Diesel · EX11 KYJ

Steering and brake pipe corrosion form the recurring thread in this Kangoo's test history, and neither theme has fully gone away. Track rod end ball joints failed with excessive play on both front sides in September 2022, were presumably replaced, yet by October 2025 the nearside front track rod end was again flagged with slight play as an advisory. Rear brake pipes were noted as corroded and grease-covered in 2022, escalated to excessively corroded on both sides in September 2023, and although the retest later that month passed with the pipes downgraded to an advisory, corrosion of this kind rarely reverses. The latest test in October 2025 initially failed on a dangerously worn nearside rear tyre below 1.6mm and an incorrectly aimed nearside headlamp before passing the same day, leaving only the track rod end advisory outstanding. Lighting faults recur across the record too, with headlamp aim failures in both 2023 and 2025, a stop lamp failure in 2023, and a registration plate lamp fault in 2022, suggesting the front end alignment and electrical ancillaries need periodic attention. At 176,350 miles over roughly fifteen years, the van has averaged about 11,750 miles annually, which is typical use rather than unusually light or heavy. Testing has been consistent each autumn with no significant gaps, so the mileage accumulation appears steady and the odometer record coherent. This level of use is entirely consistent with the wear items actually recorded: steering joints, CV boots, brake pipes, tyres and lamps are exactly the components that accumulate wear at this rate on a working van of this age, and the record shows them being caught and rectified at test time rather than between tests. On a test drive, the priority is the front steering. With both track rod ends having failed in 2022 and the nearside one again showing play in 2025, listen and feel for looseness or a light knock through the steering wheel over broken surfaces, check for any wandering or vagueness on the straight, and after the drive inspect for uneven front tyre wear, particularly feathering on the inner or outer edges. The split CV joint boots flagged on both sides in 2023 warrant a check for clicking or knocking from the front corners on full lock at low speed, which would indicate worn outer CV joints, and a look underneath for grease flung around the inner arches. The rear brake pipes deserve close physical inspection given they were once classed as excessively corroded: ask to see underneath the rear of the van and look for flaking, pitting or weeping along the pipe runs, and on the road check for a firm, consistent pedal with no sponginess and no pull to either side under braking. Confirm all lamps function, including the stop lamps and registration plate light, and verify the headlamp aim has been properly set rather than merely adjusted enough to scrape a pass. Finally, given the dangerous tyre failure at the most recent test, inspect all four tyres for adequate tread across the full width and matching wear patterns before committing.