2015 Land Rover Discovery 3.0L Diesel · OV65 JHA

The defining mechanical story of this Discovery centres on a pattern of recurring advisories clustering around the suspension, drivetrain and power steering, punctuated by two recent MOT failures. The 2024 test at 92,896 miles recorded a Major defect on the nearside rear lower suspension hub bush, which had previously been flagged only as an advisory on the earlier 2022 and 2021 tests. This component failure, combined with advisories on the rear propshaft bush breaking up, the front hydro-bushes knocking on braking, and power steering pipe seepage noted across three consecutive tests, suggests an ongoing wear pattern in the vehicle's underbody hardware rather than isolated incidents. The most recent test on 2025-10-10 recorded a clean pass with no advisories, which breaks the advisory chain but cannot be treated as evidence of remedial work, since MOT records do not capture what repairs were carried out between tests. With 97,229 miles spread across roughly 11 years, this Discovery averages approximately 8,839 miles annually, broadly typical for its age and segment. The annual test record is consistent year on year, with no multi-year gaps that would suggest extended periods off the road. However, the mileage per test is meaningful: the vehicle is covering between 9,000 and 13,000 miles between MOTs, which is enough usage to stress suspension bushes, brake components and drivetrain mountings but not the kind of high motorway mileage that typically accelerates corrosion on underbody structural metal. A prospective buyer should focus the physical inspection on the components repeatedly flagged in the MOT record. The nearside rear lower hub bush that failed in 2024 should be checked for any signs of renewed movement, listen for clonking from the rear suspension over speed humps and uneven road surfaces, and inspect the polyurethane hydro-bushes at the front for cracking or splitting, as these were already knocking under braking in 2021. The power steering pipe between the pump and rack has shown seepage on multiple tests, so the pipe runs and rack seals should be examined for fresh fluid residue and the fluid level verified before purchase. On the test drive, listen for a propshaft vibration or shudder through the drivetrain, particularly on drive engagement or under load, as the rear centre propshaft bush was noted as breaking up, and check the front brake discs for lip, run-out and pulsing through the pedal under firm stopping, given the previous advisory on corroded inner faces. The handbrake cable hooks were noted as worn in 2022 and should be verified for full application and clean release, and any offside front headlamp condensation should be re-inspected, since the 2022 failure involved a cracked lens that was clearly neglected at the time.