2016 BMW 535I XDRIVE VIN WBA5B3C54GG260733

This entry is for a 2016 BMW 535I Xdrive, finished in black. Power comes from a 3.0-litre petrol engine with six cylinders, rated at 300 hp. There is an automatic gearbox, with all-wheel drive. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The source data puts the mileage at 83,099 miles. A clock converted from miles to kilometres should be documented, since the swap can hide the true mileage. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

When the car was recorded, it showed flood damage. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first.

The record describes this BMW 535I Xdrive as a non-runner. The engine did not start. A key is on file for the car. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. Such a title means the car was declared a total loss and can return to the road only after repair and inspection. A branded title follows the car through every change of owner, so it remains part of its history.

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

When a car does not run, a compression test and the condition of the oil tell a mechanic whether the engine can be brought back to life. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. While the car does not run, stored fault codes and a look at the fluid are the only early evidence of how the automatic gearbox has fared.

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. For this car, the VIN is WBA5B3C54GG260733. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. A VIN check and a physical inspection answer different questions: the first says what happened to the car, the second what condition it is in now. The next step is to look up the history behind VIN WBA5B3C54GG260733.