2018 Volkswagen Transporter 2.0L Diesel · GD67 RZF

A pattern of tyre wear and the single 2024 failure define the roadworthiness picture for this high-mileage Transporter, even though the two most recent tests were passed without any recorded defects. The April 2026 and April 2025 tests both returned clean passes, which is positive on the surface, but the 2024 cycle shows the vehicle sat on the borderline of legality for its tyres and was failed outright on the day before its pass for a nearside rear tyre with a cut exposing the ply or cords. That one-day gap between fail and pass on 29 and 30 April 2024 effectively means the vehicle was only made roadworthy after a tyre replacement, so any prospective buyer should not treat the 2024 pass as wholly clean. Across the 2022 test there are also advisories for both front tyres wearing on the edge, a rear brake pad advisory, and the exhaust noted as a low emitter, suggesting the tyres were already a known wear concern before the 2024 failure. The annual mileage is a significant factor in the mechanical outlook. At 125,283 miles over an eight-year life, this Transporter is averaging roughly 15,660 miles per year, which is well above the typical figure for a van of this age and points to genuinely heavy working use rather than the light, stop-start pattern that often produces clean MOT records. The mileage history also shows a gap between the February 2022 test and the April 2023 test, which broadly lines up with the higher annual accumulation seen elsewhere and confirms sustained commercial-style utilisation. High-mileage T6-era Transporters commonly show accelerated wear on suspension bushes, anti-roll bar links, coil springs, wishbone ball joints, brake discs and caliper slide pins, dual-mass flywears and clutch components, turbo actuator mechanisms, and the rear trailing arm bushings, so even where the MOT record is silent, components that are not routinely tested at MOT will have absorbed substantially more fatigue than a lower-mileage example of the same age. For a test drive and physical inspection, the priority areas mirror the recorded advisories. On the nearside rear, check the bodywork around the wheel arch lip and jacking point for the kind of corrosion that frequently starts on the Transporter's rear arches and under-floor seams, particularly where road grit collects, and tap-test for crusty rust rather than just surface oxidation. Inspect all four tyres for uneven shoulder wear consistent with the edge-wear advisories, particularly on the front pair, as this pattern on a Transporter is often linked to worn front wishbone bushes, top mounts, or tracking geometry rather than just inflation, and any new tyres fitted post-failure should be checked for matching brand, size and load rating. For the brakes flagged in 2022, carry out a rolling brake test from around 30 mph to feel for any pulling to one side, pedal pulsation suggesting warped front discs, or a soft pedal indicating caliper seizure, and listen for any binding or rubbing from the rear after the vehicle has been parked, as sticking rear calipers are common on heavily-used T6s. On the road, listen for clonks or knocks from the front suspension over speed humps and broken tarmac, particularly clunks that correlate with steering input, which would point to worn anti-roll bar drop links or wishbone bushes, and check for any vague wandering, tramlining, or vibration through the steering wheel that would suggest front suspension or steering rack wear consistent with the mileage. Finally, with the engine running, listen for any rattle from the dual-mass flywheel on shutdown, any turbo whistle that turns into a louder mechanical noise under load, and inspect the underside for oil seepage around the sump, cam chain area, and rear main seal, all of which are known wear points on high-mileage T6 diesel units that the MOT inspection does not cover.