2012 Volkswagen Golf 1.4L Petrol · SA62 RUW

The 2012 Volkswagen Golf passed its most recent MOT on 2 July 2025 at 123,155 miles, but the record reveals a maintenance trend that is stable at best, with persistent minor suspension wear and one notable structural concern. The July 2025 test flagged worn front suspension arm rear bushes on both sides, a corroded nearside rear coil spring, and front tyres worn to 2 mm and 3 mm on their inner edges. None of these constituted a failure, yet the coil spring corrosion and uneven tyre wear suggest the car has not been kept in top mechanical condition. The trend is neither sharply worsening nor clearly improving; it is a pattern of recurring, low-level suspension wear that has persisted across multiple test cycles without escalating into dangerous failure, but also without being properly resolved. The mileage progression is broadly consistent with typical use for a 14-year-old car. From 98,598 miles in July 2022 to 113,013 miles in July 2024, the car covered roughly 14,400 miles over two years, then added a further 10,142 miles in the year leading to July 2025. That slight dip in annual mileage is unremarkable and may simply reflect lighter use or a period of reduced driving. There are no alarming gaps or sudden spikes in the record, and the overall annual average of approximately 8,800 miles sits comfortably within the expected range for a vehicle of this age and type. The recurring advisory for worn front suspension arm rear bushes appeared in three consecutive years, from July 2023 through July 2025, and was present in both the failed and passed tests of 2023. This is a slow-developing wear item rather than an acute failure, but it points to a car that has been driven on degraded suspension components for some time. The fractured offside front coil spring flagged in the July 2023 failure was apparently replaced, yet by July 2025 the nearside rear coil spring was corroded. That shift from a broken front spring to a corroded rear one raises a question about whether the replacement was a like-for-like OEM part or a cheaper aftermarket unit, and whether the remaining original springs are approaching the end of their service life. The inner-edge tyre wear noted in both 2023 and 2025 indicates a persistent alignment or suspension geometry issue, most likely tied to the worn bushes themselves. A buyer should focus the in-person inspection on the condition of all four coil springs, particularly the rears, and check for fresh corrosion or cracking. The front suspension bushes should be physically tested for play, and a four-wheel alignment check is advisable given the repeated inner-edge tyre wear. The rear brakes should also be examined, given the 2022 advisory for a binding nearside rear service brake, which was not flagged again but may not have been fully rectified. Overall, this is a car that has been kept running rather than properly maintained, with wear items addressed only when they reach the point of test failure.