This car shipping preparation checklist covers every essential step of vehicle transport preparation, ensuring smooth pickup and worry-free delivery.
Why Does Proper Preparation Matter?
Proper preparation prevents damage during loading and transport, allows thorough documentation protecting you from false claims, ensures carrier acceptance, and complies with DOT regulations. Loose items become projectiles during transport, unsecured parts can detach at highway speeds, and unprepared vehicles face rejection causing costly delays.
Key benefits: Clean vehicles enable accurate damage documentation through clear photos. Proper fuel levels (quarter-tank) prevent weight issues and fire hazards. Secured parts avoid loss during transit. Complete documentation protects your interests if damage occurs.
Step 1: Clean Your Vehicle Thoroughly
Clean your car before transport by washing exterior completely, vacuuming interior, removing all items, and cleaning windows for documentation photos. A spotless vehicle allows accurate damage inspection and ensures nothing interferes with loading.
Exterior: Wash all panels, wheels, and undercarriage removing dirt that hides scratches or dents. Clean vehicles make pre-shipping photos useful for documenting existing damage.
Interior: Vacuum seats, floor mats, trunk, and compartments. Empty glove box, console, door pockets, and trunk completely. Remove floor mats and loose items that shift during transport.
Windows: Clean all windows inside and out for clear condition photos. Dirty windows prevent accurate interior documentation needed for complete pre-shipping records.
Step 2: Remove All Personal Items
Remove all personal items from glove box, center console, trunk, door pockets, and roof racks. Most carriers prohibit personal belongings, and cargo insurance doesn’t cover items left in vehicles during shipping.
| Area | Remove | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Glove Box/Console | Electronics, documents, valuables | Not insured, add weight |
| Trunk | Tools, spare items, kits | Become projectiles, add weight |
| Roof/Exterior | Racks, boxes, mounts | Interfere with loading |
| Accessories | Toll tags, garage openers | Prevent unauthorized use |
Important: Remove toll transponders (EZ-Pass, SunPass) to avoid charges during transport. Take garage openers preventing home access. Personal items add weight and aren’t covered by insurance—carriers may refuse transport if discovered.
Step 3: Secure Loose Parts and Modifications
Secure loose parts by tightening or removing antennas, checking mirrors, and inspecting spoilers. Document aftermarket modifications with photos and consider removing valuable custom parts.
Common issues: Lower or remove retractable antennas that can snap off during loading. Latch convertible tops securely. Check aftermarket spoilers, body kits, and ground effects for loose mounting. Tighten side mirrors, door handles, and trim pieces. Verify license plates are securely mounted.
Modifications: Low-clearance modifications may scrape during loading. Remove easily detached valuable parts or accept additional risk. Document all modifications with photos before shipping.
Step 4: Complete Mechanical Preparation
Mechanical preparation requires quarter-tank fuel, fixing fluid leaks, ensuring working battery, and disabling alarms. Proper readiness prevents carrier rejection.
Fuel level: Keep at quarter-tank or less. Full tanks add weight (6 pounds per gallon), increase costs, and create fire hazards. Carriers refuse excessive fuel.
Fluid leaks: Check for oil, coolant, transmission, or brake fluid leaks. Small drips are acceptable, but active leaks cause rejection due to environmental hazards.
Battery: Ensure battery holds charge and vehicle starts reliably. Carriers start and move vehicles multiple times during transport. Dead batteries cause delays.
Alarms: Deactivate car alarms and anti-theft systems that trigger during transport. Provide disabling instructions if complete deactivation isn’t possible.
Tires: Inflate to manufacturer-recommended pressure. Under-inflated tires damage rims during loading; over-inflated risk blowouts during transport.
Step 5: Document Vehicle Condition
Document your vehicle by taking 20-30 photos from all angles, recording exact mileage, noting fuel level, and photographing existing damage. Proper documentation protects you from disputes and provides insurance claim evidence.
Photo strategy: Shoot exterior from four sides, each corner, front, rear, and roof. Take close-ups of existing scratches, dents, or paint chips. Include wide shots showing overall condition and detail shots proving damage locations.
Interior shots: Photograph dashboard showing odometer with exact mileage. Document seats, console, and existing wear. Include convertible top condition and interior modifications.
Storage: Save photos with timestamps in multiple locations—phone, cloud, and email. These become crucial evidence if damage disputes arise.
For complete documentation guidance, see our detailed car inspection guide.
Step 6: Complete Pickup Inspection
At pickup, verify cleanliness, confirm items removed, review documentation with carrier, complete bill of lading accurately, and provide keys plus special instructions.
Joint inspection: Walk through the vehicle with the carrier’s driver, pointing out existing damage and comparing your photos to their inspection. This ensures agreement on condition before loading.
Bill of lading: Read completely before signing, verifying every existing damage piece appears in notes. Never sign blank or incomplete forms. Photograph the completed, signed document.
Keys and instructions: Provide one key set, keeping spares. If your vehicle has alarms, provide disabling instructions. Explain quirks like sticky doors or special starting procedures.
Contact info: Obtain carrier’s phone number for updates. Confirm delivery address and expected timeline.
| Preparation Step | Time Required | Why Important |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning | 30-45 min | Accurate damage documentation |
| Remove Items | 15-20 min | Prevent rejection, protect belongings |
| Secure Parts | 10-15 min | Prevent loss during transport |
| Mechanical Check | 15-20 min | Ensure carrier acceptance |
| Documentation | 20-30 min | Protect against disputes |
| Pickup Inspection | 15-20 min | Complete legal contract |
Conclusion: Follow the Complete Checklist
Knowing how to prepare your car for transport protects your vehicle and prevents delays. The 1-2 hours spent on vehicle transport preparation saves time, money, and frustration compared to carrier rejection or damage disputes.
Quick checklist: Clean vehicle thoroughly, remove all personal items, secure loose parts, maintain quarter-tank fuel, disable alarms, take 20-30 photos, and complete detailed carrier inspection at pickup.
Common mistakes to avoid: Leaving personal items, failing to clean before photos, forgetting to disable alarms, excessive fuel, and signing incomplete bills of lading.
Proper car shipping preparation checklist completion ensures your vehicle arrives safely without complications. For choosing reliable carriers, review our best car shipping companies and shipping costs guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you prepare your car for transport?
Prepare your car by cleaning thoroughly, removing all personal items, securing loose parts, maintaining quarter-tank fuel, disabling alarms, and documenting condition with 20-30 photos. This takes 1-2 hours and prevents rejection or damage.
What items must be removed before car shipping?
Remove all personal items including electronics, valuables, toll transponders, garage openers, and loose objects from glove box, console, trunk, and pockets. Carriers prohibit personal belongings, and insurance doesn’t cover items left in vehicles.
How much fuel should be in my car for transport?
Keep fuel at quarter-tank or less. Full tanks add weight (6 pounds per gallon), increase costs, and create fire hazards. Carriers may refuse vehicles with excessive fuel.
Should I wash my car before shipping?
Yes, wash thoroughly before shipping to allow accurate condition documentation with clear photos. Dirt hides scratches and dents, making pre-shipping inspection impossible and leaving you vulnerable to damage disputes.
What happens if my car isn’t properly prepared?
Carriers reject 5-10% of vehicles due to inadequate preparation including excess fuel, personal items, or mechanical issues. Rejection causes delays, rescheduling fees ($50-$200), and frustration that proper preparation prevents.
Do I need to disable my car alarm?
Yes, disable alarms that could trigger during transport. Alarms activating during highway travel create noise, distract drivers, and drain batteries. Provide carriers with disabling instructions if complete deactivation isn’t possible.
How many photos should I take before transport?
Take 20-30 photos covering all angles including four sides, corners, front, rear, roof, and close-ups of existing damage. Photograph odometer and interior. Store in multiple locations for evidence if disputes arise.
Can I leave anything in my car during shipping?
No, most carriers prohibit all personal items. Cargo insurance doesn’t cover belongings left in vehicles. Remove everything from glove box, console, trunk, and all compartments to avoid carrier rejection.
