You’re ready to make your next big move. You may want to ship your vehicles across the country or to a different city after relocation or for business purposes. Either way, you want your car to get to the final destination in good shape. You must follow these golden rules to achieve your car shipment needs and goals and enjoy safety simultaneously.
Clean Your Car
Dust and dirt can hide scratches, dents, and dings on your vehicle. Therefore, before the shipper arrives to pick up your car for shipment, clean its interior and exterior. Deep cleaning exposes the very true condition of any car part and eases visual inspection. In case of any damage observation, document the car’s state or call the mechanic for repair before loading it onto the trailer.
Find the Best Shipping Company
The company you choose for your car shipment plays a vital role in the auto transport experience. No one is ever ready to risk their lifetime investment by overlooking this crucial factor. Whether moving a car or two to your new city or looking for Arizona to California auto transport, take time to read online customer reviews. It’s also wise to find out how long your company of interest has been in operation, its reliability, and prices.
Have the Necessary Paperwork
Documents, either legal or not, protect you, your car, and the shipping company. Therefore, you’ll need copies before, during, and after shipment. Some documents are standard, while the shipping company requests others. The papers may include the original vehicle title, insurance documents, and photo identification. If you’ve bought the car, you will need the bill of sale to show ownership.
Remove Customization
You may have modified a part or whole of your car. From the engine, wheels, cosmetic changes, undercarriage lights, and spoilers. Damage will likely occur both in an enclosed car trailer and the open car shipping option. Therefore, concentrate more on removable, sensitive upgrades with high damage risks during the on and offloading processes. Further, there’s a higher risk of damage if the aftermarket customization is on the exterior.
Conduct a Thorough Inspection
Inspection is a must process to take before and after shipment. Check for leakages, dents, or scratches and after the review, write down your findings as evidence in case of mishandling. Let the shipping driver countersign the inspection form to show awareness if necessary. You can also take a few clear pictures of the entire car or a part for the same reason.
Buy an Insurance Cover
Your car is subject to various risks, such as damage, accident due to an Act of God, theft, or loss. Hence, it’ll help if you buy an insurance policy to cover your vehicle while in transit. For sure, the cost, brand, and car upgrades define the amount you pay for your vehicle insurance. If the peril you’ve taken insurance for happens, you stand to get compensation from the insurance company for the losses incurred.
Disable Alarms
Make the driver’s trip more enjoyable, calm, and free from unexpected distractions. Car movement during transportation could unnecessarily trigger sensitive alarms and alerts. Therefore, as you prepare your vehicle for shipment, take your time to remove the car alarms and highly sensitive markers with a high possibility of unintentional triggers. If you can’t fully disable them, instruct the shipping driver on how to do it independently. You can also disable your car altogether.
Car shipping is tiresome, and your efforts play a significant role in the shipment experience. As outlined above, you must have the proper paperwork, research, buy insurance cover, and hire the best company for your auto transport. Now that you understand the part you play, you can rest easy since you’re sure of a safe, secure, affordable, and stress-free car shipment.