2013 MERCEDES-BENZ GLK 350 VIN WDCGG5HB6DG073099

This entry is for a 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK 350, finished in white. The petrol engine has six cylinders. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with rear-wheel drive. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The record gives the mileage as 159,328 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display.

The record lists front-end damage as the main problem on this car. 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.

Without a key, a modern car needs a replacement coded to its immobiliser before it can even be started. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

Title status in the record: salvage. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage. If any work has been done on the car since, photos and invoices should show what was replaced.

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. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. What a car has been through is seldom visible at first glance, and a respray can make even a badly damaged car look sound.

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.

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. This car’s identification number is WDCGG5HB6DG073099. The number in the car’s documents should match the one stamped into the body and the one on the plate at the base of the windscreen.

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. 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. The history behind VIN WDCGG5HB6DG073099 is the natural starting point before any decision about this Mercedes-Benz GLK 350.