2014 MERCEDES-BENZ C 250 VIN WDDGJ4HB4EG171962

This Mercedes-Benz C 250 is a 2014 model. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with rear-wheel drive. The fuel is petrol. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The source data puts the mileage at 98,351 miles. Miles and kilometres are easy to confuse, and a distance in miles looks lower than the same distance in kilometres. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display.

Primary damage in the record: rear end. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first.

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

Behind every used car lies a string of events: who owned it and for how long, what the inspections found and which repairs and claims were made. 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.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

The tenth character of the VIN stands for the model year, and the eleventh for the plant that built the car. For this car, the VIN is WDDGJ4HB4EG171962.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. A repair paid for in cash at a small workshop leaves no trace in any database, so no report can list it. A history report says nothing about the car’s present condition: the frame, corrosion, electrics and the quality of any repair are judged on a lift by a mechanic. The next step is to look up the history behind VIN WDDGJ4HB4EG171962.