2009 LEXUS RX 350 VIN 2T2HK31U99C099691

This record covers a 2009 Lexus RX 350, finished in silver. Under the bonnet is a 3.5-litre petrol engine. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with four-wheel drive. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The clock stood at 160,177 miles when the data was entered. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

When the car was recorded, it showed rear-end damage. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. With rear-end damage on file, the inspection should start with the boot floor, the rear panel and the chassis rails.

A note in the source data says the car did not run. The engine started, but that says nothing yet about the gearbox or the drive to the wheels. A key was noted with the car. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

The car carries a salvage title. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss. Once issued, a branded title stays with the VIN for good, and it affects registration and insurance for every later owner.

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. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. With no test drive possible, the automatic gearbox has to be assessed on a lift and with diagnostic equipment. With four-wheel drive, mismatched tyres can strain the centre differential or coupling, so all four should be the same make and similarly worn.

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 2T2HK31U99C099691. 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.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. 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. For this 2009 Lexus RX 350, the sensible next step is a history check on VIN 2T2HK31U99C099691.