2009 Ford Fiesta 1.4L Petrol · FD09 XVC

A seventeen-year-old Ford Fiesta carrying a light annual mileage of roughly 5,200 miles has presented a generally clean MOT profile across recent testing cycles, with the most recent pass issued on 31 March 2026 accompanied only by a minor advisory for an offside front driveshaft oil seal weep. The vehicle's record shows two consecutive passes in 2025 and 2026 separated by a single Major failure on 25 February 2025 for excessive play in the nearside front wheel bearing, a defect which was evidently rectified to allow a pass two days later. Aside from this wheel bearing issue and an isolated advisory concerning a child seat obscuring the nearside rear belt, the car has demonstrated consistent roadworthiness with no advisories relating to corrosion, brake pipe condition, suspension component deterioration, or exhaust integrity. This pattern suggests a mechanically stable vehicle whose structural and safety-critical systems have remained within serviceable limits over the documented testing period. The annualised mileage of approximately 5,241 miles per year is notably below the average for a vehicle of this age and represents the lower end of typical usage. Light use of this nature places less mechanical demand on high-wear items such as the clutch, brake friction material, and drivetrain bearings, but it can conversely allow certain components to deteriorate through prolonged standing rather than active service. Rubber elements including suspension bushes, engine and gearbox mountings, and drive belts can suffer from hardening and perishing when a vehicle is used only intermittently, and corrosion can take hold on unprotected underbody surfaces that are not regularly washed clean of road salts and moisture. The fact that mileage accumulation has remained modest without any extended gaps between tests suggests the car has been in regular, if infrequent, use rather than left dormant for multi-year periods, which is the more favourable scenario for preserving component integrity. For the oil leak noted on the offside front driveshaft seal, a prospective buyer should inspect the underside of the engine and transmission bellhousing for fresh wet staining or active dripping when the vehicle is first started from cold, and should check the inner surface of the offside front tyre sidewall and wheel for any coating of dark oil residue. Although the advisory states the leak is not excessive, driveshaft seals have a tendency to deteriorate progressively with age and may worsen if the joint has lost flexibility, so monitoring the rate of any seepage at future service intervals would be prudent. Driveshaft gaiter condition should also be visually inspected for splits or perished sections, as a torn gaiter will rapidly accelerate joint wear and lead to more significant repair costs. The nearside front wheel bearing failure recorded in early 2025 warrants particular attention on a test drive, as replacement bearings must be correctly seated and torqued to function reliably. With the vehicle raised on a trolley jack or during a road test at low speed with the windows down, any humming, grinding, or rumbling drone emanating from the nearside front corner that varies with cornering loads would suggest the replacement unit has not bedded in correctly or that an associated hub assembly component is failing. Steering should be checked for any notchiness or looseness through the central position, and the car should be driven over uneven surfaces and speed bumps to detect any clonking or knocking from the suspension, which could indicate related wear in the strut top mount, coil spring seat, or lower arm bush. Finally, given the low annual mileage, particular care should be taken during a cold start to listen for any timing chain rattle from the engine, a known concern on higher-mileage Ford Fiesta units, and to confirm that the cooling fan cycles correctly as the engine reaches operating temperature.