2015 MERCEDES-BENZ ML 350 4MATIC VIN 4JGDA5HB9FA477347

The Mercedes-Benz ML 350 4MATIC described here left the factory in 2015. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with all-wheel drive. The car runs on petrol.

The clock stood at 93,360 miles when the data was entered. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

When the car was recorded, it showed damage to the left side. The damage type is a short label: the extent of the damage and the quality of any repair still have to be judged on the car. Whatever the cause, a diagnostic scan of the car’s electronics shows fault codes that a visual check misses.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key is on file for the car. A condition note describes the car at one moment; months of standing or later work on the car can change the picture in either direction.

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title.

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. Pieces of a car’s history sit with registries, dealers, workshops and insurance companies, and none of them sees the whole picture. What a car has been through is seldom visible at first glance, and a respray can make even a badly damaged car look sound.

A cold start, the colour of the exhaust smoke and any oil leaks tell a mechanic a good deal about how an engine has been treated. A petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. Automatic transmissions, CVTs included, are expensive to repair, so the test drive should include pulling away from a standstill and a stretch at motorway speed. On a car with all-wheel drive, a whine or clunk when turning tightly at low speed needs a mechanic’s attention.

A VIN never contains the letters I, O or Q, which could be mistaken for digits; its 17 characters identify the maker, the model and the individual car. The VIN on file for this car is 4JGDA5HB9FA477347. The VIN usually appears at the base of the windscreen, on a door pillar and stamped into the body, and all of them should match the documents.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing it. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. Before going any further with this Mercedes-Benz ML 350 4MATIC, it makes sense to look up VIN 4JGDA5HB9FA477347.