2015 Ford Focus 1.6L Petrol · WH15 FVG

A recurring pattern of front-end steering and suspension wear defines the mechanical history of this 2015 Ford Focus. The most recent MOT on 26 May 2026 was ultimately passed, but only after a same-day failure was recorded for an obviously incorrect offside front headlamp aim, a defect that is straightforward to rectify but nonetheless represents a present lighting compliance issue. More telling is the 2023 failure for excessive play in the offside track rod end ball joint, which followed an advisory in 2022 for slight play in the same component. Two years later, in 2025, advisories were issued for worn pins or bushes in both nearside and offside front lower suspension arm rear locations. Together, these records indicate that the front suspension and steering geometry have been an ongoing source of attention, with components either wearing out or being replaced and subsequently showing movement again on the replacement units. The 2024 test stands out as the only clean pass with no advisories in the six-year recorded history, while every other test has flagged at least one item. Annual mileage of roughly 6,139 miles over an eleven-year life sits within a normal range for a vehicle of this age, and the year-on-year progression from the early 2020s through to 2026 shows broadly consistent testing without multi-year lay-up gaps. This level of usage means the Focus has accumulated wear at a steady rather than severe rate, but it also means the car has been in regular service long enough for consumables and suspension joints to reach the point of replacement. There are no anomalies such as a sudden mileage jump, a missing year of testing, or evidence of extended off-road storage, so the wear observed in the MOT record can reasonably be attributed to normal in-service mileage rather than prolonged standing or excessive high-mileage use. For a prospective buyer, the front suspension and steering assemblies warrant close physical and dynamic inspection. With advisories logged on both sides of the front lower suspension arm pins or bushes in 2025, the bushes should be checked for cracking, perishing, or lateral movement by hand when the wheels are off the ground, and on a test drive any clonking or knocking from the front over speed humps or rough tarmac should be treated as a red flag. The track rod end history is a separate but related concern; the 2023 failure for excessive play and the earlier 2022 advisory indicate that the offside joint has been a weak point, and any slack felt through the steering, uneven tyre wear across the front axle, or a steering wheel that does not self-centre smoothly would suggest the joint or adjacent linkage requires attention. The headlamp aim failure on the same day as the 2026 pass should also be verified by checking that both dipped beams produce a flat, sharp horizontal cutoff with the brightest point slightly below the centreline of the headlamp unit, as an obviously incorrect beam pattern often points to a displaced or incorrectly seated bulb or reflector unit. The rear tyres flagged as worn close to the legal limit on the edge in both 2025 and 2026 represent a separate issue worth addressing at the point of purchase. Repeated edge wear on the rear axle of a front-wheel-drive hatchback of this type frequently points to either chronic under-inflation, misalignment following front suspension or steering work, or a contributing issue from worn rear bushes allowing toe misalignment. A buyer should inspect the sidewalls for uneven shoulder wear, confirm the rear camber is not visibly out of specification, and budget for a fresh pair of rear tyres along with a four-wheel alignment check. Aside from these flagged items, the absence of any advisories relating to brake pipe corrosion, subframe integrity, exhaust leaks, or fluid leaks across all six tests is a positive indicator that the underbody and braking hydraulic system have not yet attracted examiner attention. Overall, the record suggests a car whose mechanical fundamentals remain intact but whose front-end consumables will continue to demand periodic renewal.