2019 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA 250 VIN WDDSJ4EB8KN722125

This record covers a 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. The car runs on petrol. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

The record lists fire damage as the main problem on this car. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. With fire damage on file, the inspection should start with the wiring loom, the hoses and anything plastic near the fire.

No key was available with the car. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

Title status in the record: non-repairable. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. Automatic transmissions, CVTs included, are expensive to repair, so the test drive should include pulling away from a standstill and a stretch at motorway speed.

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. The record gives the VIN as WDDSJ4EB8KN722125.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. 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. Before going any further with this Mercedes-Benz CLA 250, it makes sense to look up VIN WDDSJ4EB8KN722125.