2004 Volkswagen Passat 1.9L Diesel · FP54 UJA

The 2004 Volkswagen Passat currently holds a failed MOT status from the 1 April 2025 test at 182,551 miles, with no defects formally recorded against the failure. The maintenance trend is impossible to judge from fault data alone, as every test entry lists no defects, yet the vehicle failed three times and passed twice between October 2022 and April 2025. This pattern suggests administrative or unrecorded presentation issues rather than a clear mechanical decline, though the most recent failure leaves the car unroadworthy until rectified. Recorded mileage rose from 153,757 at the October 2022 tests to 170,008 at the March 2024 failure and 170,022 at the April 2024 pass, then to 182,551 by April 2025. That equates to roughly 8,300 miles per year, in line with typical use for a 22-year-old car. A notable gap sits between October 2022 and March 2024, where the vehicle covered about 16,000 miles with no interim test, and the back-to-back fail-pass in late March and early April 2024 shows the owner corrected a non-recorded fault within days. Because the DVSA entries show no advisories or defects, the buyer cannot rely on the record to flag worn suspension bushes, corroded subframes, or tired brake discs. The three failures with zero listed defects point to either test station data omissions or presentation faults such as lighting, number plates, or emissions that were cleared before the pass. A 182,551-mile Passat of this era demands a physical inspection of structural integrity, front coil springs, and rear trailing arm corrosion regardless of the clean-looking history. In person, the buyer should confirm the reason for the April 2025 failure with the testing garage and verify the car now meets minimum standards. Check for underbody rust, degraded engine mounts, and gearbox wear given the high mileage. The sparse record gives no evidence of neglected consumables, but the repeated fails warn that previous owners may have deferred basic compliance until forced by the test.