2012 Peugeot Partner 1.6L Diesel · SY62 XTR

The most recent MOT, conducted on 20 May 2025 at 201,741 miles, shows a pass, but the advisory list reveals a vehicle that is being kept on the road rather than properly repaired. The tester flagged a slight play in the offside front wheel bearing, a frayed offside seat belt webbing, a persistent oil leak, a severely deteriorated offside outer CV joint boot, and a loose offside rear undertray. Several of these items, particularly the oil leak and the front suspension and steering ball joint play, have appeared repeatedly across multiple tests. The maintenance trend is not improving. It is stable in the sense that the vehicle continues to scrape through its annual test, but the underlying pattern suggests a reactive approach where only the most critical failure points are addressed between tests while secondary defects are allowed to accumulate. The mileage accumulation is high for a 2012 vehicle, averaging roughly 14,410 miles per year over fourteen years. Between the November 2022 pass at 183,505 miles and the December 2023 pass at 190,754 miles, the vehicle covered approximately 7,249 miles in thirteen months. Then, between December 2023 and May 2025, it added another 10,987 miles in roughly seventeen months. The annualised rate has increased in the most recent period, which is consistent with heavier use and accelerated wear on consumable components. The gap between the failed test on 8 November 2022 and the retest on 11 November 2022, just three days later at 183,498 miles, indicates the immediate failure items, a bonnet catch and a headlamp, were rectified quickly. However, the underlying suspension and brake defects carried over into the pass, suggesting only the minimum was done to secure a pass. A buyer should pay close attention to the structural condition of both outer sills. In the November 2022 failure, both nearside and offside rear suspension mounting prescribed areas were flagged as excessively corroded with significantly reduced structural strength. The December 2023 test noted both outer sills as slightly corroded, which may represent either the same areas under ongoing monitoring or a partial repair. Either way, corrosion in the sill mounting points on a vehicle of this age and mileage is a serious concern that warrants a thorough inspection with a torch and probe, not merely a visual check from ground level. The nearside front lower suspension arm rear bush has also been flagged for wear in both 2022 and 2023, and the nearside front steering linkage ball joint showed slight play in 2025, indicating the front end is consuming bushes and joints at a rate consistent with the mileage. The braking system also demands attention. Front and rear brake discs have been flagged as worn, pitted, or scored in both 2022 tests, and the front service brake was noted as fluctuating. Combined with the worn front tyres observed in 2023, this points to a braking and wheel-end assembly that has not been systematically overhauled. The oil leak, present in 2021, 2022, and 2025, has been consistently described as not excessive, but its persistence across four years and multiple tests suggests a slow seep from a drive shaft seal or similar source that has never been properly resealed. The severely deteriorated offside CV boot in 2025 is a new and significant finding. If the joint has been running with a compromised boot for any length of time, the entire driveshaft assembly may need replacement. A prospective buyer should test the vehicle under load, listen for clicking on full lock, and budget for front-end and structural remediation before considering this a sound purchase.