Prepare Your Car for Shipping without Breaking a Sweat

Posted on 12/09/2016

Moving house can be stressful in a number of ways. One of them involves your standard hiring of a moving company and letting them handle all your belongings. Another one involves the event in which you have two motorised vehicles and you have no driver to take one of them to your new home. So, how do you prepare a whole car for proper shipping over any distance? That involves a lot of things, from finding the right removal company to the preparation of the vehicle for the transport. Yes, a simple man and van won’t be enough this time. But don’t worry – it only sounds difficult. Once you get into it, the whole process is a quick fix.

Before you start anything, do take some time to research the moving companies in your region and see which one offers a reputable car transportation service, or whether anybody knows such a company. You can only do so much for the transportation of your car – the company handling its transit still has to do the rest.

Preparing the Car for Moving

• Before anything else, make time to properly wash your car – yes, this is important. After you do it and it is shining bright, take a camera and start taking a video or pictures of your car and every scratch it has in detail. The important thing here is to have proof of the state of the car in case of any damage done during transit, so that you can present that proof to the insurance company.

• Make a mechanical check. Be sure there aren’t any leaks from anywhere. If there are, naturally, get them fixed.

• Make sure to charge up your car battery. Also, if you are previously having troubles with it, have it checked while you are here, where you know the local shops and mechanics.

• You do not need any unnecessary weight in your car. Drain its fuel to about 1/4. This will save you money both on fuel, and on the removal service you will get from the moving company.

• Make sure the tyres are inflated properly and that they are in shape.

• If you car has decorations, or any of its parts is unstable and flappy, or loose, then remove it. You do not want anything bouncing and scratching the surface of the car, since this will raise conflict because of the state of the car after arrival. If you think that an insurance company will be mad at you for making it pay for scratches, imagine what will happen if they establish that the scratches are your fault.

• Insurance companies do not cover loss of belongings you have left in the car, so do take care of everything that is inside the car. This will also help you lower the weight of the vehicle. Same goes for any built-in items: car stereo, GPS systems, and so on.

• Disable your car alarm! The drivers of the vehicle that will take your car will not appreciate being left to transport a car that will turn the attention of numerous streets, including law enforcement. Not to mention that it’s utterly annoying.

• Never leave hazardous items in the car.

• Check your car’s primary insurance papers and keep them with you. Also, write down the car’s odometer. You want accurate details in case of foul play.

• Make an extra set of car keys to give to the driver of the transportation vehicle. Do never ever part with the only set you have!

And with this you are ready to have your car taken and transported to your new location. Now you can focus on your own relocation and plan the next step of the move. Best part about it – you can now at least look for a man with van for the rest of your things. And hurry up – the removal van is coming! When you are on the road, stress will slowly start leaving you and you will only feel the joy of the road.