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The guide to preparing a car for shipping

With the help of an auto transport company, you can easily transport your car to its destination. Once you choose the best car transport services with a reliable auto transport company, the rest will become an easier option for you. However, you will have to make your vehicle ready for shipment before you hand over it to the auto shipping company. Yes, handing over the car keys to auto shippers is not as easy as it may sound. There are a lot of aspects associated with it especially with the car preparation process. Your car is one of the most expensive possessions you have and ensuring that it is safely transported to the new address is your major responsibility. Preparing is a way to make your car for safe transit. Have a look at the procedure to ship your car. 

  • Collect all your car’s documents 

Your auto shipper company will ask you about the documents of the car so that they can get to know whether you are the owner of the car or not. Make sure you prepare all the paperwork before you hire any professional auto movers. You should have different documents such as insurance proof, bill of sale, original vehicle title, vehicle registration information, and so on. Collect all your car’s documents so that they can be used in the future. 

  • Cleaning of the car 

Make sure you wash your car, before you ship it, both externally and internally. Cleaning your car helps get rid of the dust, dings, and debris which indirectly helps reduce the damage of the car during transportation. While washing your car, make sure you don’t forget the interior of the car, you should wipe down all the surfaces and clear out the clutter. This also helps you to get the car in a clean state. Cleaning of the car should include vacuuming the car interior thoroughly, use the warm soapy water to clean the exterior of the car.  

  • Make an inventory of the car

Once you clean the car thoroughly from outside as well as from inside, then it is time to make an inventory of the car. Make sure you inspect the car thoroughly from any kind of dents and scratches and take close up photos of all the minor defects present in the car. When the auto shipper company comes to pick up the car, make sure you get the photos ready. In case, if any kind of damage to the car happens during transportation then you can claim the damage to the company. 

  • Don’t forget to empty your car 

Make sure you remove all your items from your car. If you think that you can ship other home belongings along with the car by packing all these items in the car then there is a big no to this thinking. The auto shipping company does not ensure the items that are present in the car. Yes, your car becomes a second home to you after a few years and you add a lot of your home items in it like charging cables, water bottles, some important documents, and so on. 

  • Look at the necessary maintenance 

Make sure the car is in good condition. Check for any kind of leaks and mechanical issues. Have a look at the necessary maintenance. Have a look at the few things that should be checked before your car handling over to the car shipping company. 

a.) Look for the leaking fluids 

Make sure that no fuel or oil is leaking from the car. If there is any leakage then make sure it is well repaired. 

b.) Battery charge 

Make sure that the car battery is fully charged before you hand over your car to someone. 

c.) Mileage 

Check the mileage both the times before the pickup of the car and the delivery of the car. 

d.) Fuel tank 

Make sure that the fuel tank is no more. 

e.) Empty the gas tank 

If there is a gas tank available in your car then don’t forget to empty it. 

These are the several things that you should check in preparing the car for the shipment. Follow all the rules and regulations of the car shipping company. 

  • Deactivate automatic parking passes 

If there are automatic parking passes and toll tags available at the car then make sure you deactivate these before shipment. If you leave these toll tags then you might need to pay an extra amount to all the tolls and the car shipping company will take those charges from you. No one wants to waste their money because of any foolish reason so make sure you remove all the toll tags from your car. 

  • If required, give special notes to the driver 

If the car shipping services give your car to a driver to deliver it to the destination then you can tell everything about the mechanical problems associated with your car to the driver. You can also provide special instructions to the driver so that the driver can deliver the car safely at the right address. 

You must also know different ways to move a car and prepare the vehicle according to the particular way you choose. 

 

These are the things that help you to prepare a car for shipment. Make sure you check all the above-mentioned boxes before you hand over your car to the car shipping company. 

Written by Jordan

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