How To Prepare Your Car For Shipping?

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Importance of Preparing Your Car for Shipping

3. Key Steps to Prepare Your Car for Shipping

• Wash the Car
• Take Pictures of the Car
• Remove or Secure Loose Items
• Check the Radiator, Batteries, and Tires

4. Conclusion

Summary

Shipping your car can feel overwhelming, but with the right preparation and a trusted service, the process can become much smoother. This blog provides essential steps to take before handing your keys over for shipping, ensuring a seamless and stress-free experience. From cleaning your car to checking key components, these preparations will help protect your vehicle during transit.

How to Prepare Your Car for Shipping

A car is a valuable asset, and shipping it might seem stressful. However, if you choose to ship your car through a reliable company offering services for shipping vehicles across Canada and nearby provinces, you can be assured that the job will be done right the first time. While the car shipping company representatives will handle most of the administrative tasks, as the car owner, you also have responsibilities to ensure the shipping process is completed smoothly and successfully without any issues.

Here, we have listed a few must-do activities that you need to follow before handing over your car to the shipping company to ensure the transport goes smoothly.

Importance of Preparing Your Car for Shipping

Taking the necessary steps to prepare your car ensures its safety and avoids potential damage during transit. These steps also help create a detailed record of the car's condition, preventing misunderstandings and simplifying insurance claims if needed.

Key Steps to Prepare Your Car for Shipping

Wash the Car

The first step is to thoroughly wash your car. Before you hand over your car to the company representatives, they will complete a vehicle condition report for you. This report is used to document the current condition of your car, noting any signs of damage or scratches. A clean vehicle makes it easier to identify and list any damages, dents, dings, or paint chips that may already exist on the body of the car.

Take Pictures of the Car

After cleaning the car, take a few clear pictures focusing on different areas of the vehicle. Ensure the photos are of high quality and properly dated. You do not need to photograph just the damages; take multiple pictures from different angles to document the car’s entire condition. These pictures will serve as proof of the car’s state when you handed it over to the shipping company, helping prevent any misunderstandings later. If something goes wrong during transit, you can use the photos to support a claim for any necessary repairs.

Remove or Secure Loose Items

Car trailers are large and may bounce on the road, so be sure to remove or secure any loose items inside the car. Items such as phone holders, car chargers, GPS trackers, air fresheners, pens, and loose change can shift around while your car is being transported, potentially causing damage to the interior, which could be expensive to repair.

Check the Radiator, Batteries, and Tires

Before handing over your car to the shipping company, check the antifreeze level in your radiator. This is especially important if you are shipping the car during colder months or to colder regions. Ensure the battery is at the full health so the engine can be started as needed, either mid-transit or after delivery. Do not forget to check the air pressure in the tires, making sure they are properly inflated to ensure a smooth ride once your car is delivered.

Conclusion

These simple yet essential steps are easy to perform but bring significant benefits, ensuring you are prepared for any situation that might arise during or after transit. If you are in Canada or the US and are looking for a reliable car shipping company, connect with Professional Car Carriers for comprehensive solutions to meet your vehicle shipping requirements.