2014 Citroen DS3 1.6L Diesel · KT14 CMX

The 2014 Citroën DS3 holds a current MOT that passed on 27 November 2025 at 119,898 miles, but the maintenance trend is clearly worsening. Two days prior, on 25 November 2025, the same vehicle failed with a cluster of serious defects including a split offside front CV boot, excessive play in the nearside front track rod end, worn front suspension arm bushes on both sides, and a parking brake that fell below minimum efficiency. The pass two days later suggests only the lighting defect was rectified, while the advisories carried forward from that failure, including corroded rear chassis mountings within 30cm, corroded rear brake hose ferrules, and worn front brake discs and pads, remain unresolved. This pattern points to reactive rather than preventative maintenance. The mileage progression tells a story of increasing use in recent years. Between the clean pass on 8 December 2023 at 96,520 miles and the December 2024 test at 111,958 miles, the car covered 15,438 miles in twelve months, well above the roughly 10,000 miles per year average for its age. That acceleration continued into late 2025, with the final recorded mileage sitting at 119,898. The jump from a zero-defect test in December 2023 to multiple suspension and braking advisories by December 2024, followed by outright failures in November 2025, aligns with that heavier usage and suggests components have been working harder without commensurate upkeep. A buyer should focus their physical inspection on the front suspension and steering. The nearside front track rod end with excessive play and the worn front suspension arm bushes flagged in November 2025 are wear items that degrade handling precision and can cause uneven tyre wear if left unattended. Check the offside front CV boot carefully, as a split boot allows grease to escape and dirt to enter, leading to joint failure. The front brake discs were noted as worn, pitted, or scored, so measure disc thickness and inspect for lipping. Rear brake hose ferrules showing corrosion warrant close examination, as corrosion at ferrule points can compromise hose integrity under pressure. The rear chassis corrosion advisory is the most structurally significant finding. Corrosion within 30cm of a mounting point on both nearside and offside rear structures, even if not deemed serious at the time of test, can progress rapidly on a twelve-year-old vehicle. A buyer should have the rear subframe and mounting points inspected with a torch and probe to assess whether surface corrosion has advanced into structural weakening. Combined with the fractured nearside rear coil spring that caused the December 2023 failure, the rear end clearly demands thorough underbody scrutiny before purchase.