When you are preparing your vehicle to be transported to a new place, whether you’ve sold it, are selling it, have just purchased it, or are simply moving to a new home, there are three very important steps to take.
Car transport image via Flickr
When you figure these three steps into the overall process, you can easily rest assured that your vehicle will be transported easily and safely to its destination, wherever that destination is.
Just remember, finding a car transporter company is only the first step of a longer process, but now that you have such a company scheduled, be sure to follow this advice before turning your vehicle over to that company.
Step One: Inspections
Before a vehicle will be accepted onto a transport truck, it will probably need to be inspected to ensure that it is safe to actually transport. An inspection sheet will have to be filled out before the transport driver will accept the vehicle, so make sure to schedule this with your mechanic early on in the process.
If anything needs to be fixed, now is the time to have it done. Be sure to budget the cost of repairs into the shipping budget so that you don’t have to scrape things together financially.
Step Two: Documentation
No matter what condition your vehicle is in when you are shipping it, make sure that you document every inch of it. When you release the vehicle to the transport driver, give them a copy of the notes you’ve taken as well as any pictures that you have taken as well.
Keep a copy of all of this documentation for yourself as well. Having this on hand will make it much easier for your to file a claim against your insurance if you need to. Damages are uncommon, but they aren’t impossible. Having pictures will remove all doubt.
Step Three: Insurance
The final step in preparing for the shipment of your vehicle is ensuring that it is protected while you are not in direct control of it. This means that you need to get an insurance policy to cover the vehicle while the transport is taking it to its new home.
Sometimes your vehicle insurance policy will cover this time, but make sure that you call to find out for sure. The last thing you’ll need is to receive your vehicle with damage done and find out there is no recourse.
About the Author: Kathryn Moore is a consumer advocate who’s spent well over twenty years working inside the car transport industry. Today she’s built up a trusted network of car transporters where consumers who need an auto moved can find one that fits their motor vehicle transport needs simply by visiting her site at http://www.cartransporters.org.
