2018 HYUNDAI SONATA SE VIN 5NPE24AF7JH692269

This Hyundai Sonata SE is a 2018 model, finished in black. The gearbox is automatic, with front-wheel drive. The car runs on petrol. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The car was recorded with 22,657 miles on the clock. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. Little distance per year can mean long periods of standing, light use or a tampered clock, and only older entries tell these apart. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable.

Primary damage in the record: underbody. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first.

When it was checked, the car could not be driven. The engine could be started. A key is on file for the car. A condition note describes the car at one moment; months of standing or later work on the car can change the picture in either direction.

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. 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.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

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. On a car that does not run, the automatic gearbox cannot be judged on the road; the colour and smell of its fluid and a diagnostic scan give the first clues.

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 5NPE24AF7JH692269. 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. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. For this 2018 Hyundai Sonata SE, the sensible next step is a history check on VIN 5NPE24AF7JH692269.