2022 Skoda Octavia SE Technology TSI 1.5L Petrol · FN72 SYU

A borderline MOT outcome on a 2022 Skoda Octavia TSI is the defining mechanical takeaway here, with the vehicle presenting a mixed picture rather than a straightforward pass or fail. On 18 September 2025, the car was both failed and passed on the same date, which is a standard practice when a presentation failure is rectified on site and the vehicle subsequently passes. The original failure listed a windscreen defect and two headlamp aim items (nearside aim too high, offside aim too high and too far to the right), all of which were classified as dangerous or repairable at the time of test. The pass certificate issued the same day carries only a windscreen advisory, indicating the headlamp aim was corrected during the visit, but the windscreen damage remained acceptable under the inspector's judgement. With only the 2025 test on file, there is no longitudinal MOT history against which to judge deterioration, and the recorded defects are the sole evidence of mechanical condition available. The usage profile for this 1.4 (or 1.5 TSI) Octavia is broadly typical for a four year old family hatch, with 43,295 miles accumulated at roughly 10,800 miles per year. This rate sits comfortably within the expected band for a car of this age and class, neither suggesting motorway-only light use nor hard-driven high mileage. There are no apparent gaps in the testing timeline that would imply long periods off the road, and the single recorded test in 2025 is consistent with a vehicle that is in regular daily use and presented for annual inspection. From a wear standpoint, this mileage implies normal consumption of friction materials, tyres, and likely a cambelt or timing chain service interval depending on the specific TSI variant fitted, but there are no MOT findings pointing toward abnormal mechanical wear at this stage. For a prospective buyer, the headlamp aim items deserve specific attention during any physical inspection and test drive. The fact that both headlamp projectors were reported as aiming excessively high, and the offside unit additionally too far to the right, is more commonly associated with suspension sag at the rear, sagging coil springs, or a heavily laden vehicle at the time of test rather than a simple adjustment error. On a road test, listen for clonking or knocking from the rear suspension over speed humps and uneven B-road surfaces, and observe whether the rear of the car sits noticeably lower than the front when unladen. Check that the headlamp units themselves are secure in their mounting brackets, as a loose or damaged adjuster can replicate the same MOT failure on subsequent tests. It is also worth asking whether the aim was corrected via the manual headlamp levelling mechanism, replacement of broken adjusters, or suspension work, as this affects the likelihood of recurrence at the next MOT. The windscreen damage recorded on both the failure and the pass warrants a close visual inspection from inside the vehicle, particularly within the swept area of the wipers and the critical vision zone directly in front of the driver. Inspect for stone chip propagation, as a small chip can spread rapidly with temperature changes and winter use. On a road test, confirm the wipers clear the screen effectively without smearing, and ensure the headlamp levelling switch, if fitted, operates smoothly through its range. Finally, because the 2025 test is the only DVSA entry on file, there is no evidence of how the brakes, suspension components, exhaust, or underbody corrosion have aged over time, so a thorough pre-purchase inspection by a qualified technician, including a ramp examination of the underbody and brake components, would be prudent given the limited test history.