2020 GMC SIERRA K1500 SLT VIN 3GTU9DET3LG288677

This entry is for a 2020 GMC Sierra K1500 SLT, finished in red. Under the bonnet is a 3.0-litre diesel engine. There is an automatic gearbox, with four-wheel drive.

The car was recorded with 51,538 miles on the clock. A clock converted from miles to kilometres should be documented, since the swap can hide the true mileage. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

This GMC Sierra K1500 SLT is recorded with damage across the whole body. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since. With damage across the whole body on file, the inspection should start with the whole structure, panel by panel, and every airbag and sensor.

At the time of recording, the car ran and drove. A key was present. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

The car carries a salvage title. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss.

Every car builds up a history from the day it is first registered: owners come and go, inspections are passed or failed, and repairs are paid for. No single office holds the whole story of a car: registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders each keep their own part. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

For the engine, the service history matters most: oil changes, filters and the timing belt or chain are the entries to look for. A diesel used mainly for short trips may need attention to its particulate filter, EGR valve or injectors. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was. Drive to all four wheels means more to maintain: differentials and couplings have oil of their own, which some manufacturers want changed at set intervals.

A vehicle identification number has 17 characters: the first three name the manufacturer, the next six describe the model and its specification, and the last eight identify the individual car. The VIN of this GMC Sierra K1500 SLT is 3GTU9DET3LG288677. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. A history report says nothing about the car’s present condition: the frame, corrosion, electrics and the quality of any repair are judged on a lift by a mechanic. The next step is to look up the history behind VIN 3GTU9DET3LG288677.