When moving to another state, you may decide that flying to the new destination is the better option compared to driving your car for many, many hours across the entire country. Or you can reach an informed decision to drive your own car to the new home while owning a second vehicle that still needs to be transported to the new city.
In both these house moving scenarios, you’re going to need to hire a car shipping company to transport your car to the new state.
Now, choosing one of the best auto shippers in the country will definitely give you peace of mind that your precious vehicle will arrive quickly and safely at its destination. In most cases, it all comes down to trusting the professionalism of a top-rated car shipper to get the job done without any problems whatsoever.
A professional car shipping company will ease your worries about your car and will lower the overall level of stress you must be feeling during that highly transitional period. Needless to say, you’ll also be looking for professional car shipping services that are affordable enough to fit your moving budget.
The car shipper you choose to work with will take care of everything for you… or almost everything. The thing is that you can’t just hand over the car keys to your auto shipper without taking all the required steps to prepare your car for transportation.
Follow the car shipping checklist below to learn how to prepare your car for shipping.
What to do before preparing your vehicle for transport
Before you begin working on the vehicle shipping checklist below, there are a few important things you should do first.
- DOUBLE-CHECK your decision to ship your car using professional car moving services. The most common scenarios are when you’re either moving to a distant part of the country (for example, coast to coast moving) or when you’re driving to the destination city but your need to have your other car transported there as well.
- FIND a car shipping company that you can trust with your precious automobile. To do so, get accurate car shipping quotes from reputable vehicle transport companies in your area so that you can pick the most reliable and affordable auto shipper for you.
- COMPARE carefully the received car shipping estimates in order to choose the car moving company that has offered you the best deal in terms of price, terms, and conditions. The car shipping cost will depend on a number of variables such as the distance to the drop-off location, method of transportation (open-air car transport or enclosed car transport), size and weight of the vehicle, car model, current cost of fuel, auto insurance, and of course – the auto shipper itself.
- FIND the time to check the moving reviews and performance ratings of the auto shippers you’re considering as your potential partner. What the former clients of those car transportation companies had to say about their services should help you pick the right car hauler for you.
Read also: Should you drive your car across the country or ship it?
How to prepare your car for transport: 20 steps
Once you have accepted the offer of a reputable car transportation company, you’re going to have to prepare your car for transport so that when your auto shipper arrives on negotiated a pick-up date, they can just take your car and load it onto their truck without any unnecessary delays.
These 20 steps will show you how to prepare your car for shipping:
- Step 1. WASH the exterior of your car and then clean its interior space as well. This should be the very first step of the car preparation process.
- Step 2. INSPECT your automobile thoroughly for any scratches, dents, paint chips, etc. Then, if you do find any minor defects, take clear and close-up photos of them with your standalone or smartphone camera. Make sure the date stamp is visible in the shots so that any transportation damage cannot be later disputed by your car transport company.
- Step 3. HAVE the car photos ready when the car shipper you have hired comes to pick up your car. Then, using the pictures, mark any existing imperfections in the inspection report you will be given and asked to sign.
- Step 4. CHECK the entire vehicle for any visible fluid leaks and if you do happen to find any, fix them or have them fixed before the car shipping company arrives.
- Step 5. CHECK the condition of your car battery – it should be fully charged and well secured in its supporting bracket.
- Step 6. MAKE SURE the gas tank is only about 1/4 full of fuel or else it will only add up unnecessary weight to your own car and the auto shipper as well. You definitely don’t need any additional fuel because your car will not be driven other than to be loaded and unloaded from the transport truck.
- Step 7. CHECK whether the car tires are fully inflated and in good overall condition.
- Step 8. CHECK whether the emergency brake of your vehicle functions properly. This is an important step because the parking brake of your car will be activated when your vehicle is loaded onto the transport truck.
- Step 9. TAKE DOWN any removable or loose parts from the exterior of your car so that they don’t get damaged on the road. Any antennas should be fully retracted or removed altogether and your car’s side-view mirrors should be folded (if applicable).
- Step 10. DISMOUNT any non-permanent racks for baggage, bikes, skis, etc.
- Step 11. REMOVE all personal belongings from your car to minimize any risks of theft and reduce the overall shipping price (less weight = lower price). Remember that the auto shipper’s insurance does not cover any personal items left in the car.
- Step 12. TAKE OUT any items that are not built in such as car stereos, car phones, GPS systems, etc.
- Step 13. DISABLE the custom alarm system if your vehicle is equipped with such a device. Also, don’t forget to take away or deactivate any parking passes or toll tags from your car – after all, you don’t want to be charged continuously on your way to your new home.
- Step 14. LEAVE only the standard vehicle equipment that has come with your car – jack, spare tire, emergency kits, tools, and so on. MAKE SURE you don’t leave hazardous items or materials of any kind in the car.
- Step 15. LEAVE the child safety seat, if applicable. Also, don’t touch the license plates either – you should never remove your car’s license plates when preparing your vehicle for shipping.
- Step 16. SECURE the top of your convertible car so that you protect the vehicle against the whims of Mother Nature.
- Step 17. CHECK whether the primary insurance of your car is active and will stay active until the relocation is complete. If it’s not, take steps to fix this because your vehicle must be properly insured during the shipping process.
- Step 18. CHECK your car’s odometer and record its readings.
- Step 19. PREPARE an extra set of car keys to give to the truck driver while keeping the original set with you. Don’t make the rookie mistake of parting with the only set of car keys available.
- Step 20. INFORM the driver of any mechanical problems your car might have prior to its loading. Provide written instructions of special car handling peculiarities, if any.
When shipping your car to another state, follow the above steps to prepare your vehicle for safe and damage-free transport to your new home.
Must-read: Car Shipping Tips
Keep in mind that when the car shipping company arrives to pick up your vehicle, they will also inspect your car carefully before loading it up onto their truck. It’s important that you or a representative of yours is present at that vehicle inspection in case of an issue of some sort. Then, you will be asked to sign the Bill of Lading and the vehicle condition report.
Ultimately, the most important thing when shipping a car to another state is to hire a truly professional car transportation company that will pay attention to each and every vehicle shipping detail and will make sure things go smoothly from start to finish.
It’s never easy to trust strangers with your treasured car so you should definitely know the steps to find the best auto shipper in your area.
See also: How to ship a car to another state
I never realized that it would be beneficial to transport materials with a gas tank that is 1/4 full. My brother needs to have a few materials that need to be shipped the following month. I think that he would be better off by hiring a transport service for help.
My wife and I are planning a cross country move next year. We are excited by the new chapter in our life, but the process of moving that far is daunting. One thing we have been worried about is transporting our cars. We want to ship them, but we have been worried about them being damaged. I like that you mentioned to clean it well and inspect it before you ship it, so you know if any damage has occurred once it arrives. I will have to make sure to do that.
Thank you for helping me learn more about preparing my car for shipping. One thing that you mentioned was that you should check the condition of your car battery before you ship because it should be fully charged before it leaves on the exciting adventure. My dad recently passed away and left me with his classic Mustang. Since we live across the country, I want to ship it since it would not make the cross-country trip. Thanks again for helping me understand how to better prepare it for the carrier.