If you choose to move your vehicle, it is important that you understand how to prepare the car for transportation. Before shipping your car anywhere, you must do some things to get your vehicle ready to ship. Whether it is your first or 10th time shipping a vehicle, it is essential that you follow proper preparation procedures.
When you are moving a vehicle across state lines, take the steps listed above to get the car ready to safely be transported to its new home without any damages. If not, take steps to correct it, as your car should be covered correctly throughout the transportation process.
When inspecting the car, look for any new damages to have occurred on board. With the car in cleaner condition, you will have an easier time pinpointing any potential damages caused during the shipment process as soon as the car arrives at the destination. Cleaning is an essential step in the car-shipping process, as it will allow you to see and document any damages.
If your vehicle is clean, you and the drivers can more easily complete a car condition report, because you will be able to clearly view any existing scratches, dents, dent, chipped paint, or other damages on your car. Once you have cleaned the car, go through the outside of the car looking for any dents, scratches, blemishes, or paint chips. While you are cleaning your vehicles exterior, you may also want to declutter the inside of the car. To prevent things getting kicked around in the inside of your vehicle, declutter your interior and get rid of anything that is untied.
Give your car a good clean, inside and out, so that you can conduct a complete inspection. Do maintenance checks on your vehicle to ensure that it is driving well. Check the engine and other mechanical problems, and if you can, get it tuned by a mechanic before your vehicle is picked up to go.
If you are bringing an operational car, you will want to do some common vehicle-maintenance tasks. Following the steps outlined above will make your auto transportation process run smoothly, ensuring your vehicles safety. You have taken the first step of the process, choosing how you want to transport your car. Your car is ready for shipping, but there are likely a lot of questions that will come up with transportation.
While we do the bulk of the heavy lifting for your car transport so that it arrives at your new destination safely without any issues, the one thing that we cannot do is prep your vehicle for transportation. Any items that you leave inside the car are not the moving companies responsibility, so make sure you take out all your valuables as you are getting the car ready to go. You should remove all of your personal belongings/electronic devices, important documents, pieces of expensive jewelry, etc./from inside of your car, because your vehicle hauling companies insurance will not cover those items if they are lost while transporting the vehicle to a different state.
Keep in mind when your Car Shipping Company arrives to collect your Car, they will also thoroughly inspect your Car before loading it on their trucks. During the time it takes for your vehicle to be picked up and delivered, the company carrying your vehicle will conduct thorough inspections. When your car arrives at the designated location, ask someone to check the car for damages or missing items prior to making a payment. Ensure that you can easily spot any existing scratches, dents, tears, etc. When your vehicle is picked up by a transporter, do an extensive exterior check on your vehicle.
Waxing allows you to clearly see any damages to the vehicle prior to transport, and helps you to compare the cars condition at the time of delivery. Washing your vehicle makes it easy to see your cars condition, which allows you as well as the dispatcher to accurately record any damages.
When your vehicle is delivered to your new residence, you should verify your cars condition and properly document any transport damages in your bill of lading before the truck driver leaves your new home. When you are readying the car for transport, verify with your car insurer if your vehicles primary insurance is active and will stay in effect until your four-wheeler is safely delivered to your new address. Check with your car insurer to see whether or not your auto insurance coverage applies while the car is being transported.
Prepare a list of questions you will need to ask while moving a vehicle, and verify with your auto mover whether or not they offer any coverage for your car. A week before shipping, bring the vehicle in to the shop to get it checked out, even if you think it is fine. Check your whole vehicle for any visible fluid leaks, and if you do find them, either repair or get them fixed before your auto transporter arrives.
Make sure no leaks are present, because that can cause your vehicle to leak onto other vehicles while being shipped. If there is a leak, inform your moving company so that they can make sure the vehicle is placed in a trailer that does not allow your vehicle to leak onto other vehicles.
Start your vehicle transport preparations necessary by washing your cars exterior well. Taking the things mentioned here will make sure that your vehicle is adequately prepped for travel.