2018 Infiniti Q50 2.1L Diesel · NJ18 LDN

The 2018 Infiniti Q50 passed its most recent MOT on 16 August 2024 at 102,603 miles, but the record reveals a maintenance trend that is stable at best rather than improving. That test flagged slight play in both front suspension arm ball joints, a cut to the offside rear tyre, and corroded rear brake discs. None of these were dangerous enough to cause a failure, yet their presence alongside advisories from earlier years suggests the car has been kept running rather than actively improved. The rear brake discs have been repeatedly noted as worn, pitted, or scored since 2023, and the front ball joint play was new in 2024, indicating that wear items are now reaching attention on multiple fronts simultaneously. The mileage progression tells a story of heavy use with a notable gap. Between August 2022 at 56,393 miles and August 2023 at 83,319 miles, the car covered roughly 27,000 miles in a single year, a sharp acceleration from the earlier average. By the August 2024 test, the odometer read 102,603 miles, yet the recorded mileage has not moved since. That plateau over nearly two years raises the possibility of limited use, a replaced or disconnected instrument cluster, or a vehicle that has been standing. Buyers should verify the true mileage against service invoices, VIN checks, and physical wear on the driver's seat bolsters, steering wheel, and pedal rubbers to confirm whether the 102,603 figure is genuine. A hands-on inspection should focus on the front suspension ball joints, which had slight play at the last test and could deteriorate further under high-mileage stress. The rear brake discs were corroded in 2024, and with the car potentially sitting unused, surface rust may have progressed into pitting or uneven wear. The offside rear tyre showed a cut in 2024 that was not deep enough to fail the test at the time, but any sidewall damage on a high-mileage car warrants immediate replacement rather than monitoring. The offside rear anti-roll bar linkage ball joint was excessively worn in the August 2023 failure and only slightly worn in 2022, so a physical check of that component is essential to confirm it was properly replaced and not merely left. Beyond the flagged items, the high annual mileage before 2024 implies accelerated wear on consumables and drivetrain components. Inspect the coil springs for sag or cracking, check the exhaust for corrosion given the repeated mentions of surface deterioration, and assess whether the engine and transmission mounts show signs of fatigue. The MOT record is relatively clean for a car of this age and mileage, but the pattern of recurring rear brake and suspension advisories points to a vehicle that has been driven hard and maintained to a passable standard rather than a meticulous one. A pre-purchase inspection by an independent mechanic is strongly recommended before committing.