How to Prep Your Car for Shipping: A Complete Checklist
When you ship your car, it might face a combination of potential hazards. It’s loaded and unloaded onto different carriers. It might be exposed to natural elements. The truck it’s being carried might have to drive through icy and debris-covered roads.
But proper preparation can help you minimize the possibility of damage to your vehicle. This article will guide you through a step-by-step process you can follow to easily prepare your car for auto transport.
1. Clean Your Vehicle
First, wash your car inside and out. This is crucial because the carrier’s agent or driver will inspect your vehicle before shipping. They’ll take a note of all existing damage so you can examine the car when it arrives at its destination.
If your vehicle is not squeaky clean during the inspection, dirt and dust can make it easy to miss a scratch or overlook a dent. As a result, your car’s vehicle condition report will be less accurate, and you might not be able to claim compensation for damage that was actually the carrier’s fault.
2. Document Your Car’s Condition
After cleaning your vehicle, inspect it from all sides and take pictures. If you notice any existing damage, take close-ups and ensure that the pictures mention the date and time of your documentation.
You should also share a copy of the pictures with your carrier. It’ll act as proof if you find any damage on your vehicle during inspection at the time of delivery.
3. Remove All Personal Belongings
Next, it’s time to remove all personal items and belongings from your vehicle. These include toll transponders, GPS units, custom stereos, car seats, radar detectors, and loose change. This is very important for several reasons.
For example, your carrier may not be licensed to ship anything other than cars. So, the driver may refuse to accept your car during pick-up if they find personal items still within the vehicle.
Second, your car shipping insurance most likely won’t cover any personal items. So, if the belongings that you left in your vehicle get damaged, you’ll have to bear the expenses.
Third, your car may be loaded and unloaded more than once. On each occasion, there’s a chance that loose personal items will end up damaging your vehicle. Again, your insurance might not compensate you for damage caused by leaving personal items in the car.
4. Perform a Maintenance Check
Carriers don’t just charge more to move a non-running car – they might also refuse to accept it altogether if they don’t have the proper equipment to ship it. So, you must make sure that your car is either in an operable condition or tell the carrier about your car’s non-operable status. For this, you must perform a maintenance check:
- Ensure that all fluids (like oil, coolant, and brake fluids) are topped off.
- Examine the battery level and charge it if necessary.
- Check the tires and find out if they’re at the appropriate pressure levels.
5. Leave a Quarter Tank of Gas
Once you’ve performed a maintenance check, leave a quarter tank of gas in the car. It’ll ensure that the carrier can load/unload or move your vehicle during emergencies, while minimizing its weight, and thus the car shipping cost.
6. Final Inspection and Walkaround with the Carrier
With the 5 steps outlined above, your car should be ready for shipping. All that’s left to do is have a final walkaround and inspection with the carrier’s driver. Make sure that the driver accurately records your car’s condition on the Bill of Lading. Be sure to point out any existing damage so that the driver takes special note of it on the BoL. Finally, double-check the BoL before signing it.
You’re Ready to Ship Your Car with Confidence
Transporting a vehicle can feel like a challenging task, but properly preparing it can go a long way in ensuring that you have a smooth car shipping experience. All you have to do is take the steps this guide has mentioned, and you can be sure that your vehicle will arrive at your destination just as you had shipped it – safe, sound, and ready to hit the road.
