2012 Volkswagen Golf 1.6L Diesel · SY12 XDN

The vehicle is currently roadworthy but the maintenance trend shows a concerning decline regarding tyre management and braking systems. While it passed the most recent test in June 2025 at 86,052 miles, this followed a failure just three days prior at 86,029 miles. That failure was due to poor parking brake efficiency and multiple tyres reaching the legal limit, indicating that the owner only addresses faults when testing fails rather than performing preventative maintenance. The mileage pattern is consistent with a vehicle of this age, averaging approximately 6,100 miles per year. There is a notable gap of nearly 8,400 miles between May 2024 (77,667 miles) and June 2025 (86,052 miles), which represents standard usage. However, the low annual mileage for a 14-year-old car does not exempt it from aging rubber components and suspension hardware, which often suffer from age-related degradation despite low distance driven. A buyer must physically inspect the front suspension and alignment, as the 2024 test specifically noted front tyres wearing on inner edges and play in the front anti-roll bar linkage ball joints. The recurring issues with uneven tyre wear across multiple axles in 2025 suggest a persistent geometry fault or worn bushes remain unresolved. Furthermore, the parking brake should be tested thoroughly for effectiveness, as it recently failed to meet requirements and the nearside rear brake disc was already flagged as pitted and scored.