What Happens When a Car Arrives at LMN's Korea Facility

An LMN staff member drying a freshly washed black Mercedes-Maybach in the wide bay of the LMN facility in Korea. — After LMN secures a car, it comes to the LMN facility to be cleaned, prepared, and readied for sale.

Securing a car isn't the finish line — it's the start of getting it ready to sell. Once you secure a vehicle, LMN's Korea facility turns it into a car you can present with confidence: cleaned inside and out, checked over, and shot for marketing — all before it ships. Here's what you get, step by step.

What you receive

A car cleaned and prepared, inside and out
A receiving condition check, with any visible issue raised early
Marketing photos and video you can put in front of your customer

All done at LMN's Korea facility, before export.

This is not LMN secondary inspection. Secondary inspection happens before you secure a car, to help you decide. The facility process happens after — the car is already yours, and LMN prepares and readies it.

1Cleanup→2Wash→3Detail & polish→4Check→5Marketing

Two minutes inside the LMN facility: the full process on one car, start to finish.

Before any of it starts: a walkaround on arrival. The day a car comes in, LMN staff walk around it with a clipboard and note its condition as received, so there's a clear starting point before any cleaning or polishing begins. The basics, like tire pressure, get sorted at the same time.

An LMN staff member with a clipboard walking around a secured black Mercedes-Maybach just after it arrived at the LMN facility, noting its condition. — Day one: an arrival check as the car comes in, so its starting condition is on record before any work begins.

Tire pressure being checked on a secured black Mercedes-Maybach right after arrival at the LMN facility, air hose attached to the rear wheel. — Straight after the arrival check, the basics: tire pressure topped up before the car goes anywhere.

1. Cleanup

What you get: a cabin that shows its true condition. Used cars rarely arrive tidy — trash, dust, leftover items, and lingering smells are common inside. LMN clears it all out, cleans the interior properly (seats, floors, dashboard, trim, and storage areas), and treats any odor. With the dirt gone, real condition is easy to read — whether a mark wipes away or is an actual stain, whether wear is surface dust or real use. For a dealer, the interior is often the first thing a customer notices.

An LMN staff member cleaning the rear cabin of a secured black Mercedes-Maybach, doors open, at the LMN facility. — Clutter cleared and the cabin cleaned, so real condition is easy to read.

An LMN staff member vacuuming the open trunk of a secured black Mercedes-Maybach at the LMN facility. — Storage areas get the same treatment, including the trunk.

2. Wash

What you get: an exterior you can actually read. The car is washed so dust, rain marks, and road grime stop hiding scratches, dents, and differences between panels. A clean exterior lets you — and your customer — see the real car, and it's what makes the later photos and video worth looking at.

An LMN staff member pressure-washing a secured black Mercedes-Maybach in the wash bay at the LMN facility. — Washing reveals the exterior so it shows clearly.

Water beading on the freshly washed hood and grille of a black Mercedes-Maybach at the LMN facility. — With the grime gone, every panel can be read as it is.

A secured white Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 inside the automatic wash tunnel at the LMN facility, brushes and spray running. — Larger jobs go through the wash tunnel first, then get finished by hand.

The same white Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 rolling out of the wash tunnel at the LMN facility, headlights on. — Larger jobs go through the wash tunnel first, then get finished by hand.

3. Detailing & polishing

What you get: paint that reads clearly in photos — with nothing hidden. After the wash, the interior is detailed first — seats, dashboard, door panels, and every storage pocket, one car at a time. Then the exterior may be polished so the paint shows well on camera. Polishing is not a way to hide problems: scratches, dents, repaint signs, and panel gaps are still there and are not covered up. The goal is to prepare the surface, not to smooth over what's underneath.

Two secured cars with doors open being detailed side by side in the LMN facility bay. — Interior detailing first: doors open, seats to dashboard.

The front cabin of a secured white Mercedes-AMG being wiped down at the LMN facility. — Interior detailing first: doors open, seats to dashboard.

An LMN staff member running a polishing buffer over the hood of a secured black Mercedes at the LMN facility. — Polishing prepares the paint for review — it doesn't hide defects.

The result after polishing: paint that reads clearly on camera.

4. Condition check

What you get: problems found early, not at export. Once the car is cleaned and prepared, LMN checks it over — a receiving check on the car you've already secured, so any visible issue is noted and raised early rather than surfacing later. Minor fixes and light maintenance can be handled here too, if needed. This is not the pre-purchase secondary inspection; it's a check on the car already in your hands.

Two LMN staff checking the underside of a secured white Mercedes coupe raised on a lift at the LMN facility. — After detailing and polishing, a last check on the lift before the car moves on.

5. Marketing photos & video

What you get: ready-to-use assets that help you sell. LMN shoots marketing photos and video made for selling — clean, ready-to-use files you can put straight in front of your own customer to move the car faster. Shown at its best, the car is ready to drop into a listing or a handoff. Many of these videos also go live on LMN's TikTok, giving the car extra exposure to buyers scrolling there.

A short promo clip the dealer can use — or watch more on LMN's TikTok.

Front view of a black Lexus LS 600h L on the turntable in LMN's photo studio. — A finished set: exterior angles and interior details, ready for a listing.

Front three-quarter view of a black Lexus LS 600h L in LMN's photo studio. — A finished set: exterior angles and interior details, ready for a listing.

What it means for you

Every step works toward one outcome: a car that's ready to move — cleaned, checked, and ready to present to your customer, with assets you can sell with. The promise isn't that every used car comes out looking new; it's that it's readied properly and documented honestly, so you and your customer can take the next step with confidence.

Buying from Korea? Before you secure a car, LMN can inspect it for you — see how LMN secondary inspection works. After you secure it, the facility process takes over. Start at lmnauto.com.

Frequently asked questions

What do I get at the end of the LMN facility process?

A car that is cleaned, prepared, and checked, plus marketing photos and video you can use to present and sell it — all completed before export.

Does the facility process happen before or after I secure the car?

After. The facility process runs once the car is already secured. This is different from LMN secondary inspection, which happens before you secure the car to help you decide.

Is the facility process the same as LMN secondary inspection?

No. Secondary inspection is a pre-decision evidence step before you secure a car. The facility process is post-securement preparation and presentation of a car that is already yours.

Does polishing hide damage?

No. Polishing prepares the paint to read clearly in photos and video. Scratches, dents, repaint signs, and panel gaps are still there and are not hidden.

What does LMN do to the car at the facility?

Five steps: cleanup inside and out, exterior wash, interior detailing and polishing, a receiving condition check (including minor fixes and light maintenance if needed), and marketing photos and video the dealer can use to present and sell the car.