2015 BMW 328 XI VIN WBA3B3G5XFNR86138

The BMW 328 XI described here left the factory in 2015. Power comes from a 2.0-litre petrol engine with four cylinders, rated at 240 hp. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with all-wheel drive.

The source data puts the mileage at 105,020 miles. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it. A service book or a folder of workshop invoices is the simplest place to find past readings.

The record lists front-end damage as the main problem on this car. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. Damage rarely stays where it is first seen: an impact can reach the mountings and airbags behind a panel, and water or fire the wiring and electronics.

A key was there when the car was checked. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

Title status in the record: salvage. Such a title means the car was declared a total loss and can return to the road only after repair and inspection. 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 paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

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. On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. Automatic transmissions, CVTs included, are expensive to repair, so the test drive should include pulling away from a standstill and a stretch at motorway speed.

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 WBA3B3G5XFNR86138 belongs to this 2015 BMW 328 XI. 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. A history report says nothing about the car’s present condition: the frame, corrosion, electrics and the quality of any repair are judged on a lift by a mechanic. With this 2015 BMW 328 XI, the first step is a look at the history behind VIN WBA3B3G5XFNR86138.