2014 ACURA MDX TECHNOLOGY PACKAGE VIN 5FRYD4H4XEB014310

This entry is for a 2014 Acura MDX Technology Package, finished in silver. The petrol engine has six cylinders and produces 290 hp. The gearbox is automatic, with all-wheel drive. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The recorded mileage is 116,381 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. A service book or a folder of workshop invoices is the simplest place to find past readings.

Primary damage in the record: rear end. The damage type is a short label: the extent of the damage and the quality of any repair still have to be judged on the car. A lift and a diagnostic check show what photos cannot: bent brackets behind a panel, chafed wiring or deployed airbags.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key is on file for the car.

A salvage title is on file for this car. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage. Once issued, a branded title stays with the VIN for good, and it affects registration and insurance for every later owner.

Every car builds up a history from the day it is first registered: owners come and go, inspections are passed or failed, and repairs are paid for. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. 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. On a car with all-wheel drive, a whine or clunk when turning tightly at low speed needs a mechanic’s attention.

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. For this car, the VIN is 5FRYD4H4XEB014310. The VIN usually appears at the base of the windscreen, on a door pillar and stamped into the body, and all of them should match the documents.

What a history report can list depends on what has been documented about the car: registrations, mileage readings, damage, branded titles and theft reports. The past is on file; the car’s condition today is a job for a mechanic, who can check the structure, underbody, electrics and any repairs on a lift. With this 2014 Acura MDX Technology Package, the first step is a look at the history behind VIN 5FRYD4H4XEB014310.