2015 MERCEDES-BENZ C 300 4MATIC VIN 55SWF4KB0FU090967

This record covers a 2015 Mercedes-Benz C 300 4MATIC, finished in grey. The engine is a 2.0-litre petrol unit with four cylinders. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with all-wheel drive. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The record gives the mileage as 85,887 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back. Service invoices and inspection reports each carry a mileage figure, and lined up in order they show whether the clock tells the truth.

When the car was recorded, it showed damage to the right side. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first.

A ‘runs and drives’ note means the car moved under its own power when it was checked. A key was there when the car was checked. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

The car carries a salvage title. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. Pieces of a car’s history sit with registries, dealers, workshops and insurance companies, and none of them sees the whole picture. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating. On a car with all-wheel drive, a whine or clunk when turning tightly at low speed needs a mechanic’s attention.

The tenth character of the VIN stands for the model year, and the eleventh for the plant that built the car. This Mercedes-Benz C 300 4MATIC has the VIN 55SWF4KB0FU090967. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

A VIN report gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. 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. The history behind VIN 55SWF4KB0FU090967 is the natural starting point before any decision about this Mercedes-Benz C 300 4MATIC.