2007 Mercedes E 3.0L Diesel · KH07 MLF

The 2007 Mercedes-Benz E presented a pattern of recurring mechanical advisories across its recent MOT history, with the latest test on 2025-09-18 recording a pass alongside persistent issues including nearside rear inner tyre wear, front suspension arm play, and an engine management malfunction. Between 2021 and 2025 the vehicle experienced three separate fails—most notably in August 2023 where a front tyre suffered a cut deep enough to breach the ply or cords (5.2.3 d(i)) and in September 2022 where an exposed inner tyre ply was found along with missing road wheel fixings and a dangerous condition involving tyre damage. Despite achieving a pass in 2024 and again in early 2025, the presence of ongoing advisory flags indicates that the underlying mechanical deficiencies have not been fully resolved, presenting a chronic rather than progressive reliability challenge for prospective buyers. At 153,049 recorded miles, the vehicle accumulates approximately 8,055 miles annually—a rate consistent with normal use over its 19-year lifespan. The gap between the clean 2021-08-25 MOT and the first fail in 2022-08-24 spans nearly two years, suggesting extended periods of reduced activity or storage before the first serious issues emerged. Subsequent passes in 2023 and 2024 were followed immediately by another failure in 2025, indicating that any improvement was unstable and did not extend through subsequent intervals. This irregularity in test results implies that while the car has managed to pass the MOT process intermittently, the cumulative effect of repeated suspension and drivetrain interventions is likely evident in the persistent nature of the recorded advisories. The front and offside lower suspension arms present the most recurrent concern throughout the record, with multiple instances of ball joint play, pin and bush wear, and slight looseness reported between 2023 and 2025. On a test drive, the driver should monitor for knocks over small bumps that could reveal increased play in the suspension linkages, particularly when navigating uneven surfaces or sharp turns. A noticeable hitch or judder in the brake pedal response may also signal underlying bearing wear in the affected suspension components. Additionally, the repeated tyre edge-wear advisories suggest that the front tyres are being pushed to their legal limits, which combined with the suspension issues could result in premature tyre compound degradation even if the rubber tread appears acceptable. The engine management system showed clear deterioration, evidenced by the engine MIL recorded in both 2023 and 2025, and the 2022-08-24 failure highlighted a complete loss of road wheel fixing on all four wheels—a serious safety concern that required immediate attention. While the most recent 2025-09-18 MOT cleared the vehicle, the lingering engine malfunction and missing wheel fasteners represent unresolved risks that would require diagnostic verification before purchase. Buyers should verify that no engine fault codes persist during the test drive and confirm that all wheel nuts and lug bolts are securely fastened, as the historical data indicates this area has repeatedly failed to meet standards. The combination of ongoing suspension pathologies and unresolved engine and wheel-fixing issues makes this vehicle best approached with caution, focusing on confirming that each identified failure point has been properly repaired and that no new warnings have appeared since the last successful MOT.