2010 NISSAN ROGUE S VIN JN8AS5MV7AW607792

This Nissan Rogue S was built in 2010. The petrol engine has four cylinders and produces 170 hp. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The clock stood at 162,853 miles when the data was entered. 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. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

Primary damage in the record: flood. 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. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the wiring, connectors and electronics, and any corrosion under the carpets.

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.

A salvage title is on file for this car. Such a title means the car was declared a total loss and can return to the road only after repair and inspection. Once issued, a branded title stays with the VIN for good, and it affects registration and insurance for every later owner.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating. A car with four-wheel drive has extra differentials and often a transfer case, which an inspection should cover alongside the engine and gearbox.

The ninth character of the VIN is a check digit calculated from the other sixteen, so a mistyped or invented number does not add up. For this car, the VIN is JN8AS5MV7AW607792.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. A VIN check and a physical inspection answer different questions: the first says what happened to the car, the second what condition it is in now. With this 2010 Nissan Rogue S, the first step is a look at the history behind VIN JN8AS5MV7AW607792.