2016 Ford Focus 1.5L Diesel · LR16 WWU

The 2016 Ford Focus presents a mixed maintenance picture that has deteriorated sharply in the most recent MOT cycle. The September 2025 test at 132,045 miles failed with five distinct defects, including a mismatched space-saver spare on the offside front, a nearside front tyre below the 1.6mm legal minimum, and multiple lighting failures on the offside. Although a pass was recorded on the same day at the same mileage, the failure entry reveals a clear lapse in basic pre-test preparation. The trend is worsening. In 2024 the vehicle failed on exposed ply cords on the nearside front tyre and borderline wear on the offside front, with advisories on front brake pads and uneven rear tyre wear. The 2023 pass came with both front tyres noted as only just legal. Tyre condition has been a persistent and recurring concern across three consecutive annual tests, suggesting the previous owner did not address underlying alignment or suspension issues that cause uneven wear. The mileage pattern raises its own questions. Between September 2023 at 83,706 miles and September 2024 at 109,202 miles, the car covered 25,496 miles in twelve months. That is more than double the annual average of roughly 13,200 miles implied by the vehicle’s age. The mileage then plateaued completely, with no meaningful increase between September 2024 and September 2025, both tests recording 132,045 miles or within single-digit difference. This suggests either a period of intense use followed by the car standing idle for a full year, or a mileage anomaly that a buyer should verify against service records and the V5C logbook. A vehicle sitting unused for twelve months can develop flat-spotted tyres, seized brake calipers, and deteriorated rubber components that a single fresh MOT pass does not fully rule out. A buyer inspecting this car in person should focus on the front suspension and steering geometry. Repeated uneven tyre wear, inner-edge scrub, and exposed cords point to worn track rod ends, deteriorated suspension bushes, or a misaligned front axle. The front brake pads were flagged as wearing thin in 2024, so the condition of the discs and pad thickness should be checked directly. The multiple lighting defects on the offside in 2025, including the repeater, position lamp, and stop lamp, may indicate a corroded wiring connector or a failing body control module rather than simple bulb failure. Inspect the rear lamp clusters and earth points for green corrosion. The space-saver spare fitted on the offside front at the time of the 2025 failure is itself a red flag; confirm whether a full-size wheel and tyre are now correctly fitted and whether the spare wheel well shows signs of water ingress or structural rust. Given the high mileage and the pattern of recurring tyre and brake wear, a full four-wheel alignment check and a suspension bounce test are advisable before purchase.