2010 Volkswagen Caddy 1.9L Diesel · SF60 AAO

A well-defined theme emerges from the MOT history of this 2010 Volkswagen Caddy: chronic minor advisories centred on fluid leaks and component wear, punctuated by two recent failures involving brake and tyre defects. The most recent test on 1 August 2025 recorded a Pass with advisories for oil leak, a worn nearside front suspension arm pin or bush, a binding offside rear service brake, a minor exhaust gas leak, and corroded rear floor, indicating that the underlying mechanical issues have not been resolved between tests. The 2025 cycle began with a Fail on 24 July 2025 owing to an inoperative windscreen washer, a relatively simple defect that returned the vehicle a week later with a Pass once rectified. The 2024 cycle was more concerning, with a Dangerous failure recorded on 15 July 2024 for nearside front tyre with ply or cords exposed, alongside a Major for offside rear service brake excessively binding. Taken as a whole, the trend shows consistent underlying wear rather than improvement, and the recurrence of the same advisories across multiple test cycles suggests that wear items are being monitored but not actively replaced. Mileage accumulation is substantial for a 16-year-old commercial-style vehicle, with 340,345 miles recorded and an annual average of roughly 21,272 miles, well above the typical private-car figure and consistent with fleet or commercial use. The gaps between tests are short and regular, typically a year apart, which fits a vehicle that has remained in active service without long periods off the road. There are no obvious large jumps or unusually low readings between tests, so the recorded mileage progression appears coherent rather than indicative of clock irregularities. High annual mileage of this nature places continuous demand on consumables, suspension components, braking hardware, and drivetrain joints, accelerating wear in areas such as engine oil seals, brake calipers, exhaust flex sections, and suspension bushes, all of which are reflected in the recorded advisories. For a prospective buyer, the most relevant items to examine are the suspension, braking, and underbody condition, given the recurring advisories. The nearside front suspension arm pin or bush has been flagged in both 2025 tests, so on a test drive listen for clonking or knocking from the front end over uneven surfaces, vague steering response, or uneven tyre wear across the front axle, which would indicate the bush has worn beyond advisory tolerance. The offside rear service brake has been noted as binding in both 2025 tests and was a Major failure in 2024, so check for the rear offside wheel running hotter than the opposite side after driving, a dragging sensation, or uneven brake disc wear, all signs of a sticking caliper or seized slider mechanism that may require caliper refurbishment or replacement. The oil leak advisory, present at every test since 2023, and the recurring exhaust gas leak point to ageing seals and exhaust joints, so inspect the engine bay and undertray for fresh oil residue, listen for ticking or hissing from the exhaust manifold and flex joints when the engine is cold, and check for blue smoke on startup which would suggest valve stem seal or piston ring wear. The 2024 advisories of a split washer pipe and the 2025 failure of the windscreen washer itself show intermittent electrical or plumbing faults, worth verifying by operating the washers and wipers directly. The 2025 advisory noting corroded rear floor warrants a close inspection with a torch of the boot or load area floor and the structural sections beneath, looking for perforation, surface rust bubbling through paint, or underseal hiding deeper corrosion. Finally, given the Dangerous tyre failure in 2024 and repeated advisories for edge wear, confirm that the front tyres are matched, correctly aligned, and not showing feathering or scalloping, which would suggest worn suspension components rather than simple tyre consumption.