2013 MERCEDES-BENZ ML 350 VIN 4JGDA5JB8DA100774

This entry is for a 2013 Mercedes-Benz ML 350. Power comes from a 3.5-litre petrol engine with six cylinders. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with rear-wheel drive. The specification is taken from the source data.

The record gives the mileage as 142,215 miles. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it.

The main issue noted for this car is minor dents and scratches. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since. Damage rarely stays where it is first seen: an impact can reach the mountings and airbags behind a panel, and water or fire the wiring and electronics.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key was present. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

A car’s history is everything logged against it since it left the factory: registrations and owners, inspections, repairs and insurance claims. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

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. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. 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.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, its identity for life, and no two cars share one. The VIN of this Mercedes-Benz ML 350 is 4JGDA5JB8DA100774.

A VIN report gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. A repair paid for in cash at a small workshop leaves no trace in any database, so no report can list 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, it makes sense to look up VIN 4JGDA5JB8DA100774.