2012 Suzuki Swift 1.2L Petrol · SK12 WSY

The most recent MOT, conducted on 4 August 2025 at 87,767 miles, resulted in a pass, but the vehicle's maintenance trend remains distinctly mixed rather than resolving. While the tester cleared the car, the pass was conditional on multiple active advisories that reveal a pattern of deferred underbody maintenance. Brake pipe corrosion has been a persistent theme across four consecutive tests since March 2022, with the August 2025 certificate still flagging all four brake pipes as corroded and contaminated with grease or other material. The steering rack inner joint play, first noted in February 2021 and recurring in every subsequent test including the latest, suggests a wear condition that has persisted for over five years without rectification. The suspension arm bushes have similarly appeared repeatedly since 2022. The July 2025 failure at 87,685 miles, just 82 miles prior to the pass, introduced new concerns around worn front suspension ball joint dust covers and inner tyre wear, indicating the car was driven in a deteriorated state shortly before the retest. The maintenance picture is one of reactive rather than preventive care. The recorded mileage of 87,767 miles across fourteen years averages roughly 6,269 miles per year, which is typical for a small urban hatchback of this age. The MOT record shows a notable gap between the March 2022 test at 71,282 miles and the December 2023 test at 80,177 miles, representing approximately 8,895 miles accumulated over twenty-one months. This is not an unusually high rate of accumulation, but the gap itself is the longest in the provided history at nearly two years between documented tests. No MOT entries exist between December 2023 and July 2025, a period of approximately nineteen months during which the car covered roughly 7,590 miles before reappearing for its pre-fail inspection. The mileage progression is broadly consistent and does not suggest clocking, though the sparse testing intervals mean wear during undocumented periods cannot be fully assessed. A buyer inspecting this Swift in person should prioritise the underside and front end. The recurring brake pipe corrosion advisories, all noting contamination with grease or other material, warrant a close visual inspection of the full brake line run from master cylinder to each caliper. Corroded pipes covered in road grime can mask active perforation, and a pressure test or physical probing may reveal walls thinned beyond safe tolerance. The persistent play in both steering rack inner joints, flagged in five consecutive tests since 2021, should be checked by lifting the front wheels and rocking the road wheels while observing the inner track rod ends. Excessive free play here will manifest as vague steering and uneven tyre wear, consistent with the inner edge wear noted on both front tyres in July 2025. The front lower suspension arm rear bushes have been flagged as worn across multiple tests, so inspect for perishing, splitting, or visible displacement in the bush rubber. The offside front suspension arm ball joint dust cover was noted as no longer preventing dirt ingress in the July 2025 failure, meaning the joint itself may have been exposed to contamination and accelerated wear. Check for clicking or roughness during full steering lock. Finally, examine the rear lamp and number plate lamp for the damaged offside rear lamp noted in both 2025 tests, and confirm the parking brake meets the required efficiency, as it failed in July 2025 before the pass.