2017 MERCEDES-BENZ C 300 4MATIC VIN WDDWJ4KB7HF394687

This Mercedes-Benz C 300 4MATIC was built in 2017. The fuel is petrol. The gearbox is automatic, with all-wheel drive. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The recorded mileage is 103,221 miles. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

This Mercedes-Benz C 300 4MATIC is recorded with rear-end damage. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since. Whatever the cause, a diagnostic scan of the car’s electronics shows fault codes that a visual check misses.

A car that does not run has to be moved on a trailer, and its real condition is known only after a thorough assessment. The engine did not start. A key was there when the car was checked.

A salvage title is on file for this car. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss. A branded title follows the car through every change of owner, so it remains part of its history.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. Pieces of a car’s history sit with registries, dealers, workshops and insurance companies, and none of them sees the whole picture. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. 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. 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 VIN never contains the letters I, O or Q, which could be mistaken for digits; its 17 characters identify the maker, the model and the individual car. The VIN on file for this car is WDDWJ4KB7HF394687. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. For this 2017 Mercedes-Benz C 300 4MATIC, the sensible next step is a history check on VIN WDDWJ4KB7HF394687.