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Pre-purchase inspection for BMW, luxury and exotic cars in South Florida.

Before you buy a used BMW, Rolls-Royce or exotic car in South Florida, BMR Auto in Dania Beach inspects it and sends you a report with photos. You decide whether to buy, negotiate or walk away, even when you cannot see the car yourself.

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(954) 947-0057

5.0 from 151 Google reviews 325 W Dixie Highway, Dania Beach

At a glance

Pre-purchase inspections at BMR Auto.

BMR Auto is an independent BMW, luxury and exotic car specialist at 325 W Dixie Highway, Dania Beach, Florida.
BMR Auto inspects used cars before purchase for buyers in South Florida and for buyers who cannot see the car.
A BMR Auto inspection reads the car’s modules with dealer-level diagnostic software and, where the seller allows, checks the car on a lift and on the road.
BMR Auto sends the buyer a report with photos of what it finds.
BMR Auto quotes each inspection by the car. Send the listing and the VIN for a quote.
KJ, who owns BMR Auto, has worked on BMWs and exotic cars in South Florida for more than ten years.
Florida has no used-car lemon law, according to the Florida Attorney General.
One BMR Auto customer bought a 2018 BMW X6 sight unseen on the strength of BMR Auto’s inspection and photos.
BMR Auto is rated 5.0 on Google from 151 reviews, as of October 30, 2026.

Why inspect a used car in Florida.

Florida law leaves most of the risk of a used car with the buyer. Each point below is from the state.

What the law gives you

“In Florida, there is no Used Car Lemon Law,” the Florida Attorney General says.
A car sold “as is” comes with no warranties. If the dealer does not disclaim all warranties in writing, you are covered at least by implied warranties.
A private seller owes you neither a Buyers Guide nor implied warranties.
“There is no cooling off period under Florida law,” according to FLHSMV. Once you sign, the car is yours.
Dealers must display the FTC Buyers Guide on every used car. FLHSMV tells buyers to have an independent mechanic inspect the car, take a test drive and check for recalls.
The Attorney General says a dealer’s refusal to allow an independent inspection should be “a clear warning.”

Title brands and flood cars

Section 319.14 of the Florida Statutes requires title brands for cars once used as taxis, police cars or short-term leases, for manufacturer buybacks, and for rebuilt, assembled-from-parts, kit, glider, replica, flood, custom and street-rod vehicles.
A brand stays with the car for its life, and the seller must disclose it in writing before the sale, with some exemptions for former lease cars and older buybacks.
Brand standards differ between states, so a flood car from another state can be sold in Florida with a clean title, FLHSMV warns. Cars are not inspected before they are branded as flood vehicles.
FLHSMV tells buyers to run the VIN through NMVTIS, which reports title data, the latest odometer reading, brand history and theft records, and through the FLHSMV Motor Vehicle Information Check for Florida-titled cars.

How it works

How a BMR Auto inspection works, step by step.

These are the thirteen steps a thorough inspection follows, in order, so you can hold any inspection up against ours line by line. Steps one national mobile service says it does not do are marked.

Booking and seller contact. You send us the VIN, the listing link and the seller’s name and phone. We contact the seller to arrange the inspection and ask whether the car can go on a lift and whether a test drive is allowed. Seller cooperation is the main limit on any inspection you cannot attend.
Paper checks. We run the VIN through NMVTIS and, for a Florida-titled car, the FLHSMV Motor Vehicle Information Check, and we read the service records and look up open recalls. Title brands, odometer history and theft records show up here before any tool touches the car.
VIN match. We compare the stamped VIN, the plate, the VIN stored in the control units and the records. A mismatch can point to a swapped module or a problem with the car’s identity.
Cold start. We start the car cold, before the seller has warmed it. A cold engine exposes cam adjuster rattle on the M157 AMG V8 and slow hydraulic pump priming on McLarens.
Full module scan, before anything is cleared. We scan the modules with dealer-level diagnostic software and save the stored and historic faults. A cleared fault memory hides the car’s history, and Porsche specialist guidance is to create the Vehicle Analysis Log before any fault is cleared.
Mileage cross-check. We compare the mileage stored in several modules with the cluster and the records. Odometer clocking has been reported even on Rolls-Royce Ghosts. A replaced or reset module can also cause a mismatch, so on its own a mismatch does not prove fraud.
Body and paint. We check panel gaps, glass dates and the paint, panel by panel, for signs of repair. This is where undisclosed accident damage shows.
Interior, electronics and flood signs. We test the switches, screens, roof and doors. FLHSMV lists the flood signs to check: a musty odor or heavy air freshener, mold or odor in the carpet and upholstery, a waterline or mud in the glove box, under the dash and in the trunk, and underbody rust or corrosion unusual for the car’s age and location.
Lift inspection. With the car on a lift we check for leaks, the frame and subframe, the undertray, suspension, brakes with the wheels off where allowed, the exhaust and corrosion, and we read the tire date codes. Tire age is the last four digits of the DOT code, so 0308 means the third week of 2008, and the code may be on one side only. Some makers recommend replacing tires 6 to 10 years old whatever the tread, which matters most on low-mileage cars kept in warm, sunny places. One national mobile service says its inspectors may not lift the car or remove wheels.
Road test. Where the seller allows it, the car goes on the road so we can check shifts, brakes, steering, noises, ride height and damping modes, and the driver aids. Some faults only show under load.
Post-drive scan and leak check. We scan again for new faults and look again for leaks once the car is hot. Some faults and weeps appear only at temperature.
Further tests when the car warrants them. A compression test, a leak-down test or a cooling system pressure test shows engine condition beyond what a scan can. We tell you when a car needs one before we do it. One national mobile service says compression checks are generally not allowed at the car’s location.
Report and call. You get the report with photos and the fault list, and we go through the findings with you by phone. The findings become a figure to negotiate with or a reason to walk away. See what the report contains.

Shop or mobile

What a shop inspection can cover that some mobile inspections do not.

Mobile services inspect the car where it sits, which helps when a seller will not move it. Some checks need a lift, a workshop and make-specific software.

A lift

One national mobile inspection service states in its own FAQ that its inspectors may not put cars on a lift. Leaks, subframes, undertrays and corrosion are seen properly only from underneath.

Wheels off

The same service says its inspectors may not remove wheels. Brake wear and hub bearings are judged with the wheels off.

Compression and timing access

It also says compression checks and timing belt access are generally not allowed at the car’s location.

Make-specific readings

The Porsche over-rev log, Ferrari and Lamborghini clutch wear values and McLaren accumulator pressure each need software able to read that make.

Knowing the make

One Porsche owner on Rennlist put the trade-off this way: specialists know each model’s problems but may be less thorough when inspections are not their main work, while mobile inspectors are cheaper and document well but may lack that knowledge.

What it costs

An inspection quoted for the car you want to buy.

BMR Auto quotes each inspection by the car. A late BMW 3 Series and a McLaren 12C need different time and different software, and a car that needs a compression or leak-down test takes longer. Call or send the listing and the VIN, and we will quote the car you are looking at before we book it.

Inspected the way we would for a friend

A used exotic costs a lot to buy and more to own, and the inspection is where you protect that money. The prices BMR Auto charges are fair, and the shop has grown because it treats its clients and their cars with respect, the same care we would give a friend or a family member. We look at your car as if a friend were about to buy it. If we would tell a friend to walk away, we tell you.

What to send for a quote

The listing link, or the year, model and mileage.
The VIN.
Where the car is, and the seller’s name and phone.
Anything that worries you about the car.

“Excellent customer support, I say 2 weeks worth of answers( phone calls and text) detailed instructions on what would be done to my vehicle, fair price, attentive to detail”
Chris J. · BMW · Google

What the report contains.

The report is what you are paying for. One buyer who bought sight unseen wrote that BMR Auto “took extensive pictures and were accurate in their inspection.”

Photos of what we find, so you can see each problem for yourself.
The findings in order of urgency, so the expensive ones stand out.
The stored and historic faults from the module scan.
The mileage stored in the modules compared with the cluster, where the make allows it.
Tire date codes and what we found on the body and paint.
A call to go through the findings, so you know what to negotiate on.

Who inspects your car

BMR Auto is owned by KJ, who has worked on BMWs and exotic cars in South Florida for more than ten years. The buyer of the 2018 X6 named David in his review.

About BMR Auto

“KJ provided detailed diagnostics information about my vehicle and was very thorough about each item that was found on my vehicle.”
Greg D. · diagnostics · Google

Checks by make

What a specialist checks first on each make.

Each make has readings that need software able to read that make, and failures that cost the most to fix. The failure lists below come from specialist buyer guides and owner reports; their mileage figures are the guides’ own estimates.

Make	What a specialist reads or checks first	Known failures to look for	Further tests to consider
BMW and BMW M	The full fault memory and module history, the mileage stored across modules, and whether the car has been coded or retrofitted and how cleanly that work was done.	On the original N63 V8 (not the later N63TU), BMW’s Customer Care Package (bulletin B001314, December 2014, as Autoevolution reported it) called for a timing chain stretch check and replaced injectors, mass air flow sensors, crankcase vent lines, the battery, the vacuum pump and the low-pressure fuel sensor, and shortened oil service to 12 months or 10,000 miles. On some G-series cars, a known sleep-mode battery drain is fixed by reprogramming the transmission control module.	Leak-down on high-mileage V8 and M engines
Mini	Mini shares BMW’s electronics, so the same full scan and module history as a BMW.	On second-generation cars with the N14 engine, a cold-start timing chain rattle, carbon build-up and a high-pressure fuel pump that makes the car crank several times before it starts. On F55 and F56 cars, a cracked plastic oil filter housing or oil cooler. Footwell module failures after a flat battery.	As for BMW
Rolls-Royce Ghost (first generation); Wraith and Dawn share its V12	A BMW Group scan and the mileage stored by module.	Carbon buildup on the direct-injection V12, cold-start fuel faults and injector failures, coolant and oil leaks, unreliable oil level sensors and engine mounts. Air suspension faults, and cars that may have had the air released in storage. Rear coach door motors, the Spirit of Ecstasy retract motor and head-up display dropouts. Odometer clocking.	An overnight ride-height hold check; roof cycling on the Dawn
Porsche	The DME over-rev report. 991, 981 and 982 cars log six ranges and the 992 logs three. Ranges 1 and 2 mean damage is possible, 3 and 4 probable, 5 and 6 extreme. Hours since an event are the current engine hours minus the logged hours, and the Vehicle Analysis Log should be created before any fault is cleared.	IMS bearing failure and bore scoring on older cars. Borescope images of the cylinders need an experienced reader.	Leak-down, borescope
Ferrari	The clutch wear value, read with diagnostics and interpreted. One Ferrari buyer’s guide calls the F1 wear meter “notoriously inaccurate”: 50% shown might be 60 to 75% actual.	Sticky interior surfaces from heat and sun. Intake manifold issues and transmission fluid residue on the 458. Turbo and intercooler seal leaks on the 488. Roof motor, seals and latches on the California. Cam variators on the V8s.	Compression test, cooling pressure test, brake fluid moisture test
Lamborghini Gallardo	E-gear clutch wear, read through diagnostics. One specialist advises planning a replacement once wear passes 70%.	An E-gear pump that runs constantly, coil packs, front lift leaks, cooling leaks at the thermostat housing and crossover pipes, electrical faults on 2004 to 2008 cars, and a battery that drains in about two weeks.	Cooling pressure test
McLaren 12C and 650S	A cold start to watch the hydraulic pump prime, a scan of every module and an accumulator pressure test.	Accumulator charge loss (the pump runs constantly, the nose lifts slowly, cold shifts hesitate), gearbox input shaft seal weeps, airbrake actuator weeps on 2014 to 2015 cars, door struts and handle motors, cracking coolant quick-connects, a battery that drains within 10 to 14 days, front hub bearings, and skipped fuel filter and charcoal canister service.	Cooling pressure test at 1.4 bar for 15 minutes
Mercedes-AMG with the M157 V8	A cold-start listen and cam timing codes.	Cam adjuster wear around 60,000 to 100,000 miles, cracking turbo oil lines around 70,000 to 120,000 miles, plugs and coils, cylinder scoring above 80,000 miles, coolant tank leaks.	Compression and leak-down if the engine uses more than about 1 quart of oil per 1,000 miles
Bentley Continental GT W12 (2003 to 2011)	All four damping settings, tested on the road.	Coil packs, drop links, radiator corrosion, a front-left footwell water leak that can damage the electronics, the electronic parking brake module, two batteries that drain in storage, and carbon ceramic brake wear.	Cooling pressure test

Looking at a make or model not listed here? Call BMR Auto and ask before you book. For a hybrid or EV, see hybrid and EV batteries. For the faults behind a warning light, see diagnostics, and for coding and retrofits, programming and coding.

Out-of-state and auction buyers

Buying a car you cannot see.

One BMR Auto customer bought a 2018 BMW X6 offered at U Drive without seeing it, on our inspection and photos, and wrote that the car exceeded his expectations.

Send us the listing, the VIN and the seller’s name and phone. We contact the seller and set the time.
Book early. Call before you pay a deposit or before the auction closes, so the inspection can happen while the car is still yours to turn down.
We inspect the car and photograph what we find.
You get the report with photos, and we talk you through it by phone.

When the seller says no

If a dealer will not let an independent shop inspect the car, the Florida Attorney General says a refusal should be “a clear warning,” and that you should consider taking your business elsewhere.

Online auctions

Cars & Bids offers seller inspections through its inspection partner and strongly recommends including the report in the listing; the report is shared with Cars & Bids only after the seller approves it. A seller’s report is still the seller’s. If the car is in South Florida, an inspection you arrange yourself answers your own questions.

Shipping a car for repair later? See mail-in repair and the area we serve.

Scope and limits

What an inspection can and cannot tell you.

An inspection is our professional opinion of the car on the day we see it. It finds what a scan, a lift, a road test and any further tests can show. It cannot open the engine or predict every future failure, and it is not a warranty.

Some wear hides from standard tests. Compression and leak-down tests do not reveal valve-guide wear, for example, and one Porsche owner reports that an inspection described as comprehensive missed it. When a finding needs a closer look than an inspection allows, we say so in the report.

Used it to negotiate

One buyer of a BMW X5 wrote that the problems the shop found “helped me to negotiate a better price.” The findings are yours to use with the seller.

Read the review

Already own it

Inspection for a car you already own.

The same inspection works for a car that is already yours. It finds problems early, while they are still cheaper to fix.

Good times to book one

Just after buying a car that was not inspected.
Before a long drive.
When a seasonal resident comes back and the car has sat for months.
After long storage.
After a storm or high water.

What it covers

The same module scan, lift inspection and road test as a pre-purchase inspection, without the title and history checks. Call BMR Auto and we will quote it for your car.

For scheduled service, see scheduled maintenance. For a warning light or a fault you already know about, see diagnostics, brakes and suspension or engine and transmission. If the car is going into storage, see car storage.

What buyers say about BMR Auto inspections

Two Google reviews describe pre-purchase inspections. The second is an earlier review of KJ’s work, written before BMR Auto opened in 2022.

“I asked BMR to do a pre purchase inspection for me on a 2018 BMW X6 that was offered up at U Drive. They performed a professional inspection and I made my decision to buy the car sight unseen based on their professional opinion. They took extensive pictures and were accurate in their inspection. I am a long time BMW car enthusiast and highly recommend their service based on their professionalism and expertise. The car exceeded my expectations based on their inspection. I highly recommend BMR Auto and David’s expertise!”
Rob D. · 2018 BMW X6 pre-purchase inspection · Google

“A friend of mine sent me to this company to get a pre-inspection of the X5, that I was planning to buy. The folks at the shop were very knowledgeable and quickly identified a few problems w[ith] the car. It helped me to negotiate a better price. Highly recommended.”
Diliara K. · BMW X5 pre-purchase inspection · Google

Rating and count as Google showed them on October 30, 2026. More reviews

Questions from buyers

How much does a pre-purchase inspection cost for my car?

It depends on the car and on whether it needs further tests, such as a compression or leak-down test. Send BMR Auto the listing and the VIN, or call, and we will quote the car before you book. Customers describe our prices as fair, and we tell you before adding any test.

How long does it take?

It depends on the make, on the tests the car needs and on whether the seller allows a lift and a road test. An exotic with a long list of make-specific checks takes longer than a late BMW. BMR Auto tells you what to expect when you book.

Should I add a compression or leak-down test?

They show the engine’s condition beyond what a scan can, and BMR Auto tells you when a car warrants one, usually a high-mileage performance engine or one that uses oil. They still do not reveal everything; valve-guide wear, for example, does not show.

What if the seller will not let the car be inspected?

The Florida Attorney General says a dealer’s refusal to allow an independent inspection should be “a clear warning,” and that you should consider taking your business elsewhere. We agree with that advice.

I live out of state. How does it work?

Send BMR Auto the listing, the VIN and the seller’s contact. We arrange the inspection with the seller, then send you the report with photos and walk you through it by phone. One customer bought a 2018 BMW X6 sight unseen on BMR Auto’s inspection and photos.

Do you read the BMW fault history?

Yes. On BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce cars, BMR Auto reads the stored and historic faults and the module history with dealer-level diagnostic software before anything is cleared, and compares the mileage stored in the modules. For make-specific readings on other makes, such as the Porsche over-rev report, tell us the car when you book.

Can an inspection help me negotiate?

Yes. Each finding is something the seller has to fix or price in. One buyer of a BMW X5 wrote that our inspection “helped me to negotiate a better price.”

What can an inspection miss?

An inspection is an opinion of the car on the day. Wear inside the engine, such as valve-guide wear, can pass a compression and leak-down test, and no inspection predicts every future failure. See scope and limits.

Should I rely on the selling dealer’s own inspection?

FLHSMV tells buyers to have an independent mechanic inspect the car. A dealer’s own inspection is not an independent one, and Florida has no cooling-off period once you sign.

Can a flood car have a clean title?

Yes. FLHSMV warns that brand standards differ between states, so a flood car from another state can be sold in Florida with a clean title. The inspection checks for flood signs whatever the title says.

Send us the listing, the VIN and the seller’s contact.