2004 Audi A4 4.2L Petrol · NA04 KWB

The 2004 Audi A4 last failed its MOT on 10 November 2022 at 119,563 miles, and no subsequent test record exists. That is a gap of nearly four years without a valid certificate as of June 2026, which is a serious compliance and structural integrity concern. The maintenance trend is not stable or improving; it is unresolved. The 2022 failure exposed multiple active defects rather than simple wear items, suggesting the car was not kept in a roadworthy state at the end of its last test cycle. The recorded mileage of 119,563 over roughly 22 years works out at about 5,435 miles per year, which is low. However, the MOT history shows a jump from 105,899 miles in February 2020 to 110,502 miles in September 2021, then to 119,563 miles in November 2022, meaning roughly 13,600 miles were covered in just over two years after a period of lighter use. The mileage pattern is not suspiciously inconsistent, but the lack of any test since late 2022 leaves the current condition and true mileage unverified. A buyer must treat the car as untested and unproven for almost four years. The 2022 failure list points to deferred maintenance rather than isolated faults. The tester flagged an ABS warning lamp, an airbag warning lamp, and a parking brake below efficiency requirements, which together suggest the safety-critical systems were not maintained. Front suspension wear was extensive: both lower and upper suspension arm bushes were worn, the nearside front shock absorber bush was excessively worn, and both anti-roll bar linkage outer bushes were excessively worn. The offside front brake hose ferrule was excessively corroded, and the nearside rear brake hose ferrule showed corrosion, indicating aged brake lines. The offside front wing was corroded, which on a 2004 Audi raises questions about adjacent structural areas such as the inner wing, sill, and suspension mounting points. A buyer should inspect the front suspension and steering components carefully, paying particular attention to arm bushes, ball joints, and anti-roll bar links, as these were already worn in 2022 and will have deteriorated further if the car has been standing or used without attention. The braking system needs a close check, especially corroded hose ferrules, caliper operation, and disc condition, given the parking brake and hose corrosion faults. The ABS and airbag warning lamp faults require diagnostic interrogation with a fault-code reader before any purchase. Structurally, the offside front wing corrosion should be probed for deeper decay into the inner wing or chassis leg, and the underside should be examined for widespread rust given the age and the long period without a valid MOT.