2008 Ford S-MAX 2.0L Diesel · LR08 LGN

A pattern of recurring front-end wear and oil leakage defines this S-Max's MOT history, with the most recent test on 16 April 2024 passing only after flagging fresh concerns alongside a long-running list of advisories. Across six tests since 2018, the nearside front shock absorber has now developed oil misting, and the nearside front upper Macpherson strut pin or bush is reported as worn at the bearing mount, indicating progressive suspension degradation that has not yet crossed the failure threshold but warrants close attention. Front tyres have been flagged as worn close to the legal limit at four separate tests between 2019 and 2024, and in 2024 the nearside front tyre was again recorded at the limit on the edge, suggesting either consistent inner-edge wear or a tracking/geometry concern that has not been resolved between tests. The most serious event in the record came on 31 March 2023, when the vehicle failed on a dangerous stop lamp defect, a non-functioning rear centre seat belt buckle, excessive black smoke emissions, and an engine oil leak classified as Major, before passing seventeen days later with only the original child-seat advisory and a defective wiper blade remaining. This cluster, particularly the Major oil leak combined with pre-existing advisories for oil leak from the back of the engine in 2021 and 2022, indicates an oil weep that escalated from advisory to Major in a relatively short period. Annual mileage on this eighteen-year-old vehicle is broadly typical for its age, averaging around 10,841 miles per year on the recorded odometer reading of 195,146 miles, which places it firmly in the mainstream band for a family MPV of this vintage. There are no lengthy gaps in the testing history that would suggest long periods off the road, and the continuous annual tests from 2018 through 2024 indicate regular use. At this accumulated mileage, wear on suspension bushes, anti-roll bar links, wishbone arms, engine mounts, brake discs, and the dual-mass flywheel or torque converter (depending on transmission) should be expected, and the recorded history bears this out through repeated advisories on the engine mounting in 2021 and on the front strut top mount in 2024. The 2022 advisory for pitted and scored front brake discs, combined with the 2020 advisory for thinning front and rear pads, further confirms that consumables are being consumed in line with high-mileage use. For a prospective buyer, the priority inspection areas are the front suspension and the engine sealing. On a test drive, listen for clonking or knocking from the front strut area over speed humps and uneven road surfaces, particularly on the nearside where the bearing mount bush has been flagged as worn; any play here may now require replacement. Feel for pulling under braking, which would indicate binding calipers given the 2022 brake disc advisories, and check for vibration through the steering wheel that could point to disc lipping. Inspect the underside of the engine and the area around the sump, cam covers, and rear main seal for fresh oil contamination, as the leak progressed from advisory status in 2021 and 2022 to a Major failure in 2023; ask specifically whether any sealing work has been undertaken since. With the engine oil leak having previously caused an emissions failure due to excessive black smoke, ensure the engine starts cleanly from cold without excessive smoke and that the oil level on the dipstick is between marks with no milky residue, which would suggest either oil consumption or coolant contamination. Finally, verify that all brake lamps, the centre rear seat belt buckle, and both rear position lamps are functioning correctly, as these specific electrical items have all been recorded as defective at recent tests and represent known weak points worth confirming before purchase.