2010 FORD EXPEDITION EL LIMITED VIN 1FMJK2A54AEB55414

This entry is for a 2010 Ford Expedition EL Limited, finished in white. There is an automatic gearbox, with four-wheel drive. The petrol engine has eight cylinders.

The recorded mileage is 182,979 miles. A clock converted from miles to kilometres should be documented, since the swap can hide the true mileage. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

The record lists damage to the right front 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. Damage rarely stays where it is first seen: an impact can reach the mountings and airbags behind a panel, and water or fire the wiring and electronics.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key was there when the car was checked. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

The record shows a salvage title. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title.

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 car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

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. A petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was. Drive to all four wheels means more to maintain: differentials and couplings have oil of their own, which some manufacturers want changed at set intervals.

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 1FMJK2A54AEB55414.

What a history report can list depends on what has been documented about the car: registrations, mileage readings, damage, branded titles and theft reports. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. The next step is to look up the history behind VIN 1FMJK2A54AEB55414.