2015 Citroen Nemo 1.2L Diesel · PE15 RZC

The Citroen Nemo holds a valid MOT certificate dated 3 April 2026 at 149,512 miles, but the maintenance trend is clearly worsening. That same day the vehicle failed its first attempt on exhaust emissions, pumping out dense blue smoke at idle and exceeding the default lambda limit of 0.7m-1. The retest passed, yet the underlying oil-burning condition was not resolved, as the tester still flagged a front lower oil leak and an offside front shock absorber with light oil misting. A nearside inner track rod end with slight play also carried over from the failure to the pass, suggesting the steering wear was noted but not rectified. Taken together, these advisories point to a van that is leaking oil from multiple points while its suspension and steering components are wearing unevenly. At roughly 13,592 miles per year, the annual mileage is high for an 11-year-old small van, and the MOT record shows a notable gap between May 2024 and April 2026 with no intermediate tests logged. The mileage jumped from 141,014 in May 2024 to 146,872 by May 2025, then climbed to 149,512 by April 2026, confirming sustained heavy use. The sparse testing history, with only four recorded tests since 2024, offers limited reassurance that routine safety checks were carried out between annual inspections. A buyer should focus the physical inspection on the engine and exhaust system first. The combination of blue smoke at idle, a front lower oil leak, and a misted front shock absorber suggests the engine is consuming oil, possibly through worn valve stem seals, piston rings, or a failing turbocharger if fitted. Request a compression test and a thorough check of the exhaust manifold and DPF system for oil contamination. The offside front shock absorber misting is not yet a failure, but it indicates the damper is weeping and will likely need replacement soon. The suspension and steering deserve equal attention. Play in the nearside inner track rod end and a previously flagged anti-roll bar linkage ball joint, along with earlier reports of steering rack inner joint play, show a pattern of front-end wear consistent with high-mileage commercial use. Inspect all lower suspension bushes, coil springs, and rear shock absorber bushes, which were flagged as excessively worn in the April 2024 failure. Finally, check the rear underseal condition carefully, as the tester noted it in the most recent pass, and probe the rear subframe and load floor for corrosion, which is common on high-mileage vans of this age.