Volkswagen LT
Registered from 1990 to 2012.
About this model
The Volkswagen LT is the largest light commercial panel van produced by Volkswagen from 1975 to 2006, before being replaced by the Crafter. Two generations were produced.
From the Wikipedia article Volkswagen LT, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2004 2.5 diesel. 115 of 411 tests failed, 28%.
Better than 48% of 2004 cars. The typical one fails 28%, across 750 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 64% | 74 |
| Lights and electrics | 53% | 61 |
| Suspension | 37% | 43 |
| Body and structure | 27% | 31 |
| Steering | 20% | 23 |
| Tyres and wheels | 11% | 13 |
The defects inspectors cite
- A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
- Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
Where it stands out against its peers
- Brakes: failed more often than 97% of 2004 cars — 64% of its 115 failed tests, where an ordinary 2004 car has 38%.
Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.
NHTSA's investigations are American; no European regulator publishes an equivalent record, so this section has nothing to draw on for a European car. There is no European equivalent of the service-bulletin register either.
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Brakes — 64% of its failures
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
- Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Suspension — 37% of its failures
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Steering — 20% of its failures
- Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
- Tyres and wheels — 11% of its failures
- Lights and electrics — 53% of its failures
- A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Body and structure — 27% of its failures
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
When it starts failing
At 200k+ miles this one fails 28% of its inspections, against the 30% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100–120k miles | 28% | 29% | 43 | |
| 120–140k miles | 31% | 30% | 54 | |
| 140–160k miles | 25% | 31% | 67 | |
| 160–180k miles | 31% | 31% | 72 | |
| 180–200k miles | 28% | 31% | 50 | |
| 200k+ miles | 28% | 30% | 64 |
350 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 160k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.