2008 Mercedes C 2.5L Petrol · ML08 HDV

The most recent MOT, conducted on 24 August 2022 at 128,058 miles, passed, but the maintenance trend is not reassuring. That test flagged a cluster of advisories: a worn front brake disc, play in the steering rack inner joint, a corroded brake pipe, a nearside front tyre worn to the legal limit, slight play in the offside suspension arm ball joint, and a corroded rear drum back plate. Taken together, these point to a vehicle that was being kept on the road rather than actively maintained. The record shows no subsequent test, meaning the car has now sat outside the MOT cycle for nearly four years as of June 2026. Any one of those advisories could have progressed significantly in that time. The mileage pattern is broadly consistent with light, regular use. From January 2020 at 115,490 miles through August 2022 at 128,058 miles, the car covered roughly 12,500 miles in just over two and a half years, averaging around 4,900 miles annually during that window. That is slightly below the 7,114 miles-per-year lifetime average, suggesting the vehicle may have been used less frequently in its most recent active period. The gap between the August 2022 test and today, however, raises the possibility that the car has been largely stationary for an extended spell, which introduces its own risks: perished rubber components, stale fuel, moisture ingress, and seized brake components. A buyer should treat the 2022 advisories as a live checklist. The steering rack inner joint play and the suspension arm ball joint wear need physical inspection for looseness and clunking under load. The corroded brake pipe flagged in 2022, along with a separate corroded pipe noted in January 2020, suggests the braking system has had a recurring vulnerability to corrosion, possibly from underseal degradation or moisture trapping. All rigid and flexible brake lines should be examined for pitting, weeping, and structural integrity. The rear drum back plate corrosion is a known weak point on W204 C-Classes and can lead to brake shoe contamination or reduced parking brake effectiveness if left unchecked. Beyond the flagged items, the absence of a valid MOT means no independent tester has verified the car since August 2022. The fractured offside coil spring that caused the August 2021 failure was clearly replaced before the retest the following day, but the long-term condition of that repair and the remaining springs should be confirmed. Suspension bushes, subframe mounting points, and the exhaust system all warrant close inspection for age-related deterioration. A full underbody examination for structural corrosion is essential before any commitment.