The Most Important Steps You Need to Make Before Having Your Car Shipped

If you are planning to move across the country without driving for hours, you should definitely consider having your car shipped. There are many reliable auto-transport methods nowadays that you can avail and book a safe journey for your vehicle. Since there are several auto-transport providers, you should reach out to each of them and wait for the quote in order to get the best deal. Once you have received the quotes, you should choose the transport providers on the basis of their perks and budget-friendliness. The next step is to make sure that your dear vehicle is all set to go for the ride.

The decision about selecting the shipment company is the easy one. Whereas, the actual process of getting your vehicle ready for shipment is very complicated. In this guide, we will share some of the essential steps you should take before leaving your vehicle with the auto transport company.  

You Should Have the Documents for Your Car

The auto-transport company would ask you to provide the proper documentation of your vehicle. If you do not have it ready or end up fumbling with piles and piles of papers, the pickup of your car may be canceled by the company. This is a safety precaution for your benefit; the company must consider all the verifications before transporting your vehicle for you on legal grounds.

So, if you do not want the shipping timeline of your car to be postponed, you should keep the documentation ready. This would include the original vehicle title, bill of sale, or any other record that proves your ownership, insurance proof, registration information, and your identification (it could be your passport or driver’s license). The identification document must not be expired.

Keep it Clean for the Ride

You don’t want to get an untidy car on the other side of the journey, right? Well, it is not only about ensuring that your vehicle is clean, but it is another measure to check how the transport company deals with your vehicle during the shipment. A piece of advice you’ll learn when you read more here is to spend enough time cleaning up your car so you should be well aware of its state before the transport company takes over. So, after the shipment, you would be better positioned to assess any new damages, scratches, or dust.

While cleaning the car, do remember to include the interior as well. You should thoroughly wipe all the surfaces and remove any clutter from the car. It would give a tremendous sense of relief when you meet your speck clean car on your destination after a long journey.

Keep Evidence of Your Vehicle

After cleaning your car and having the documents ready for the shipment company, the next important milestone is getting your vehicle ready to be shipped. You should carefully examine the damaged areas of your car and take pictures of any discolorations, dents, scratches, or paint chips. We hope you can now begin to appreciate the importance of cleaning your vehicle.

Generally, your car would stay safe during the shipment process and is unlikely to suffer any damages. It also does not relate to whether you are going with an expensive or an economical transport provider. But, you should still scrutinize the existing damages and make records of them. Once you have the evidence for everything, you would be in a better position to file a claim in case of any damage to your vehicle during the shipment.

No Personal Belongings in Your Vehicle

It is a simple and obvious rule that you should not leave any personal items inside your car while handing them over to the transport company. It is very tempting to load some of the luggage in your vehicle and call it a day. But it’s not recommended at all. Your car has insurance, but the baggage you would stuff inside, may not have insurance against theft or damage. Moreover, the transportation company may need to bear a penalty charge for having your luggage in the car they are shipping.

So, instead of finding a way to sneak some luggage in the car, make sure that you have removed all your personal items from the vehicle. This would include any water bottles, sunglasses, charging devices, junk, and GPS devices. You should also remove all the personal identification documents or insurance paperwork from the car.

If for some reason, you are persistent about leaving the personal belongings in the car, you should make sure that they are stuffed in the trunk of your vehicle. This would keep them safe, and they would be out of sight during the transit. You should remove all the toll tags, and parking passes. Leaving a toll tag in your car would incur unnecessary charges if your vehicle travels through these during transit. So, remove the labels to avoid unnecessary hike charges.

However, you should keep an emergency kit, jack, spare tire, and license plate in the car.

Perform Any Required Maintenance Work

If your vehicle has been in working condition, make sure to double-check for any mechanical issues or leaks. If required, get all the problems fixed before your car embarks on the journey. Ideally, you should check all the fluids (coolant, power steering, oil, brake, washer), battery charge, mileage, and tire pressure.

Don’t Leave a Full Gas Tank

This is unnecessary and would mean extra weight for the carrier or transporter vehicle. Ideally, you should leave just enough gas that would be sufficient for driving to and from the transport truck. So, a quarter full tank should do the trick.

The Final Touches & Your Car Keys

You are done with all the required steps in getting your car ready for the trip. Now is the time to remove any accessories which are on the outside (bike racks, luggage racks, antennas, or spoilers). You should lock your car and leave a set of keys with the auto transport company. If you do not have a spare set of keys, you should get one.

Keep a Copy of Bill of Lading

So, now is the time to wave goodbye to your car but don’t forget to sign the bill of lading. This bill makes everything official and legally protected. The auto-transport company driver would come for car inspection and bill signing. The bill of lading serves as a legal contract between the two parties.

After completing all the steps listed above, you are good to go! It’s all done and sorted now. You should now be focusing on getting your luggage ready in order to get moving to your destination. The car shipment process is a bit complicated, but with some knowledge of what is involved in it, you can handle it well.