2023 HYUNDAI SONATA SEL PLUS VIN KMHL44J28PA266004

This record covers a 2023 Hyundai Sonata SEL Plus. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Power comes from a 1.6-litre petrol engine with four cylinders, rated at 180 hp. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The source data puts the mileage at 29,090 miles. A clock converted from miles to kilometres should be documented, since the swap can hide the true mileage. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

This Hyundai Sonata SEL Plus is recorded with damage to the right front. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show.

At the time of recording, the car ran and drove. A key is on file for the car.

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. Such a title means the car was declared a total loss and can return to the road only after repair and inspection. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title, however sound the car looks.

A car’s history is the sum of what has happened to it since it was new, and most of it has left a trace on paper somewhere. No single office holds the whole story of a car: registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders each keep their own part. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

A cold start, the colour of the exhaust smoke and any oil leaks tell a mechanic a good deal about how an engine has been treated. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

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. This car’s identification number is KMHL44J28PA266004. 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. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. The next step is to look up the history behind VIN KMHL44J28PA266004.