2014 Mazda 2 1.3L Petrol · NK64 RNJ

The most recent MOT on 2026-05-22 was a pass at 55,634 miles — but only after a failure earlier the same day at 55,633 miles. The failure cited serious suspension wear: excessive wear in the offside front suspension arm ball joint and track rod end, plus slight play in the nearside front ball joint. Both front tyres were also flagged for cracking or perishing. Corrosion is a persistent theme. Suspension corrosion appeared in every MOT since 2025, worsening from rear trailing arm (2025) to underbody and suspension components (2026). Brake pipe corrosion was first noted in 2024 on rear pipes (covered in grease), then escalated to excessive corrosion on both front-to-rear brake pipes in 2025 — a critical safety item that failed the test. The mechanical trend is clearly worsening. Ball joint wear, tyre degradation, and advancing corrosion all point to accelerating deterioration — not stable wear, and certainly not improving. The jump from “corroded but not seriously weakened” (2025) to “corroded in places” with multiple worn suspension joints (2026) confirms this. At 55,634 miles over 12 years, average use is just under 4,640 miles/year — well below typical UK usage (~10,000/year).