2018 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA 250 VIN WDCTG4EB9JJ491829

This Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 was built in 2018. There is an automatic gearbox, with front-wheel drive. The engine is a 2.0-litre petrol unit with four cylinders. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The record gives the mileage as 137,812 miles. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. Averaged over the car’s age, the mileage works out well above the usual annual distance, and wear on the suspension, brakes and interior should be judged with that in mind. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it. Service invoices and inspection reports each carry a mileage figure, and lined up in order they show whether the clock tells the truth.

The record lists minor dents and scratches as the main problem on this car. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the paintwork and whether any dent has reached the metal underneath.

At the time of recording, the car ran and drove. A key was noted with the car.

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.

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. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. 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 history check works by VIN because the number never changes, unlike registration plates and owners. This car’s identification number is WDCTG4EB9JJ491829. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. The absence of an entry is not proof that nothing happened; it may only mean that nobody wrote it down. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. Look up the history of VIN WDCTG4EB9JJ491829 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.