2018 NISSAN ROGUE SPORT S VIN JN1BJ1CR0JW259515

This record covers a 2018 Nissan Rogue Sport S. There is an automatic gearbox, with four-wheel drive. The car runs on petrol. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The record gives the mileage as 158,960 miles. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. 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. A service book or a folder of workshop invoices is the simplest place to find past readings.

The record lists damage to the right front as the main problem on this car. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. With damage to the right front on file, the inspection should start with the right front wing, the suspension on that corner and the wheel alignment.

A ‘runs and drives’ note means the car moved under its own power when it was checked. A key was present.

A salvage title is on file for this car. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss. If any work has been done on the car since, photos and invoices should show what was replaced.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. 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, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. 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.

Stamped into the body and printed on a plate, the VIN is the one identifier that stays with a car through every owner, registration and repair. The VIN of this Nissan Rogue Sport S is JN1BJ1CR0JW259515.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. 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. A history check on VIN JN1BJ1CR0JW259515 is the place to start.