2014 Citroen DS3 1.6L Diesel · VE14 OOB

The most recent MOT, dated 5 August 2025 at 108,750 miles, shows a clear pattern of neglect followed by rushed remediation. That initial test failed on critically worn front and rear inner brake pads, heavily scored front brake discs, both front tyres worn to the legal limit and badly scalloped on their inner edges, a perished offside rear tyre, a nail in the nearside front, and a completely inoperative rear registration plate lamp. The retest passed the same day at the identical mileage, confirming the items were rectified rather than deteriorating further overnight. Comparing this to the clean pass recorded on 21 July 2023 at 87,628 miles reveals a marked decline in upkeep over the final two years of ownership. The maintenance trend is therefore unstable, swinging from a defect-free baseline into multiple serious failures within a short window before a cosmetic fix secured a pass. Mileage accumulation tells a consistent story. Between July 2023 at 87,628 miles and August 2024 at 98,040 miles, the car covered 10,412 miles in twelve months, then added a further 10,710 miles in the following year to reach 108,750 miles. That annual rate of roughly 10,500 miles sits comfortably within the typical 9,000 to 12,000-mile range for a twelve-year-old vehicle, so there is no evidence of extreme use or suspiciously low standing periods. The record is also unusually complete, with no gaps between annual tests, which supports the reliability of this mileage progression. A buyer should treat the front suspension and steering with particular suspicion. The August 2024 failure at 98,040 miles flagged excessive play in the offside front track rod end ball joint, a component directly responsible for steering precision and tyre wear alignment. The badly scalloped inner edges on both front tyres seen twelve months later strongly suggest that alignment issue was either never properly addressed or only superficially corrected. Inspect the track rod ends, inner tie rods, and wishbone bushes for play, and check whether the front subframe or mounting points show any corrosion or cracking that could be masking deeper structural wear. The braking system demands a thorough physical check. Front pads were worn to less than 1.5 mm and discs were scored and pitted at the most recent failure, yet the car passed its 2024 test with pads described as worn very thin. That sequence implies pads and discs have been replaced recently, but a buyer should measure disc thickness and remaining pad material to confirm whether the work was done to a proper standard or merely to scrape through the MOT. The rear pads were also flagged as wearing thin in August 2025, so expect those to need attention soon. Finally, examine the CV boots carefully; both were recorded as split at the 2024 failure, meaning grease contamination and joint wear are likely unless both have been replaced since.