2018 Volkswagen Caddy 2.0L Diesel · GL18 LMK

A pattern of tyre wear dominates the MOT history of this 2018 Volkswagen Caddy, with edge wear advisories recorded at four of the five tests on file, alongside the most recent pass on 17 April 2026 where the offside rear tyre was again flagged as worn close to the legal limit and on its edge. The intervening tests have been free of other defects: 14 April 2025 and 19 April 2024 passed with no advisories, 28 April 2023 recorded both front tyres and the nearside rear as edge-worn, 29 April 2022 caught only a pair of defective front wiper blades as minor defects, and 30 April 2021 noted the offside rear tyre in similar terms. There have been no failures, no structural advisories, no corrosion findings, and no brake, exhaust, suspension, or lighting items raised. The tyre edge wear is therefore the single recurring theme in a record that is otherwise clean, and it is concentrated on the rear axle and front axle in alternating years rather than being a one-off observation. Against eight years of age, the recorded 164,183 miles equates to roughly 20,500 miles annually, which sits well above the typical commercial-van average and reflects the heavy-duty use this Caddy has clearly been subjected to. The mileage progression across the five annual tests is consistent and unbroken, with no gaps or periods off the road that would suggest long-standing neglect or storage-related deterioration. That high annual accumulation has clear mechanical implications for a buyer, as wear on suspension bushes, coil springs, anti-roll bar links, brake discs and pads, clutch, dual-mass flywheel if applicable, and drivetrain mounts will accumulate proportionally faster than on a lower-mileage equivalent. Tyres in particular will be a recurring consumable rather than an occasional replacement. For a prospective buyer, the persistent edge wear pattern warrants close attention during inspection and on a test drive, as it can point to alignment geometry issues such as inconsistent camber or toe settings, worn suspension bushes, or sagging rear coil springs that allow the vehicle to sit out of specification. On the road, listen for clonking or knocking from the front suspension over speed humps and uneven surfaces, particularly from the lower wishbones and anti-roll bar drop links, and feel for any vagueness or wandering in the steering that could indicate worn tie rod ends or track rod inner joints. At the rear, bouncing more than once after a firm press on the bodywork would suggest weakened dampers or springs, and uneven rear tyre wear of the type flagged repeatedly here is a classic symptom. A four-wheel alignment check should be considered part of any pre-purchase negotiation, along with a thorough inspection of the sidewalls for scuffing and the tread shoulders for feathering. Brake-related components have not been raised in the MOT record, but with mileage of this magnitude a buyer should still inspect the discs and pads directly for wear, check for binding calipers by feeling for uneven disc temperature immediately after a drive, and examine the brake pipes and flexi hoses for any corrosion or seepage, particularly along the underside where road salt exposure is greatest. The minor wiper blade defects recorded in 2022 are trivial and require no further investigation, but given the high annual mileage it would be prudent to check the condition of all drive belts, coolant and brake fluid by age rather than by recorded test item, and to carry out a careful underbonnet inspection for oil leaks from the cam chain tensioner area and for any signs of timing chain stretch that are common on higher-mileage TSI and TDI units fitted to this generation of Caddy. A full underbody inspection on a ramp is strongly advised to verify the absence of corrosion on subframe and suspension mounting points, none of which has yet manifested in the MOT record but would be entirely consistent with the working life this vehicle has led.