2013 HONDA PILOT EX-L VIN 5FNYF4H5XDB075417

This Honda Pilot Ex-L is a 2013 model, finished in grey. The gearbox is automatic. Under the bonnet is a 3.5-litre petrol engine.

The clock stood at 145,611 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. 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.

Primary damage in the record: right rear. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since. With damage to the right rear on file, the inspection should start with the right rear quarter panel, the suspension on that corner and the boot floor.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key was present.

The car carries a clean title. With a clean title the car can be registered and insured in the usual way.

A car’s history is everything logged against it since it left the factory: registrations and owners, inspections, repairs and insurance claims. 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.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. 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.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, its identity for life, and no two cars share one. This Honda Pilot Ex-L has the VIN 5FNYF4H5XDB075417. 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. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. With this 2013 Honda Pilot Ex-L, the first step is a look at the history behind VIN 5FNYF4H5XDB075417.