2004 Audi A4 1.9L Diesel · NG54 RYM

A recurring theme runs through the MOT history of this 2004 Audi A4: front anti-roll bar linkage wear that has been flagged at every examination since 2022, alongside a progression of suspension, braking, and minor oil leaks that together point to a chassis and drivetrain entering a phase of typical twenty-year-old wear. The most recent test on 4 February 2025 passed, but it carried advisories for both front anti-roll bar linkage pins or bushes on each side, three tyres worn close to the legal limit or on their edges, and the same front anti-roll bar items that have been a constant since 2022. Earlier passes in 2024, 2023, and 2022 all repeated the anti-roll bar advisories, with 2023 additionally recording inner-edge tyre wear on both front tyres and an oil leak not deemed excessive, and 2022 adding rear brake pads wearing thin and a slightly damaged offside mirror. A clean 2019 test stands out against this backdrop, but the trend across the last five recorded examinations is one of accumulating chassis and running-gear wear rather than deterioration in isolation. Mileage stands at 145,441 miles on a vehicle that is roughly 22 years old, giving an annualised rate of around 6,611 miles per year, which is broadly typical for a car of this era and suggests it has not been left standing for long stretches. There are no recorded years in which the vehicle skipped its annual MOT, and the tests form a continuous annual sequence from 2017 through to early 2025, indicating consistent use rather than periods of inactivity that can bring their own corrosion and component seizing problems. The mileage therefore reflects normal accumulation, and the mechanical picture should be read as that of a higher-mileage example of an ageing platform rather than one suffering from neglect through disuse. A prospective buyer should focus the physical inspection around the components the MOT history repeatedly flags. The front anti-roll bar linkages have been advised at five consecutive tests, so it is reasonable to expect the drop links or bushes will now be at or beyond replacement threshold; on a test drive, listen for clonks or dull knocks from the front end over speed humps and uneven road surfaces, and feel for any vagueness or shudder through the steering wheel during direction changes. Given the upper and rear suspension arm bushes that were noted in 2017, inspect the inner and outer bushes on both sides for cracking, perishing, or excessive play, and pay particular attention to any clonking from the rear on undulating roads. Check the rear brake pads referenced as wearing thin in 2022, and verify whether they have since been renewed by inspecting pad material thickness through the wheels and feeling for a long or inconsistent pedal travel under braking. The 2020 advisory for a deteriorated offside front suspension arm ball joint dust cover should also be followed up, as a perished boot accelerates joint wear and can allow water and grit ingress, producing a clunk or knock under steering input or over bumps. Finally, the consistent advisory of an oil leak not classed as excessive points to a weeping engine or sump area, so a thorough inspection underneath for fresh oil residue, particularly around the cam chain area, turbo, sump plug, and rocker cover gasket, is worthwhile, and the engine bay should be examined for any fresh staining on the exhaust or heat shielding that would indicate the leak is worsening. Beyond the recorded items, a road test on a variety of road surfaces will help confirm the picture: cold-start behaviour should be checked for excessive smoke, the coolant system for any signs of mixing or loss, and the underside for corrosion given the vehicle's age, paying particular attention to the front subframe, rear axle mounting points, and brake lines, as twenty-year-old rubber and underseal can deteriorate even where MOT examiners have not flagged specific items. All four tyres should be checked for age-related sidewall cracking as well as tread depth given the recurring edge-wear advisories on the front pair, and wheel alignment should be verified if uneven wear persists, as the inner-edge pattern noted in 2023 and the close-to-limit readings in 2025 suggest the tracking or suspension geometry may now be drifting out of specification.