How to Get Your Car Ready for Shipping in North Carolina
About 94.4% of households in North Carolina own a minimum of one vehicle. In other words, almost every house has a car. That means relocation for most households involves the shipping of cars.
To cater to this demand, there are many auto transport companies in the state. You can visit https://facts.net/ to learn about the history of car shipping. While choosing what company to ship the vehicle usually occupies priority in the minds of most folks, they sometimes do this at the expense of another important task.
Preparing your vehicle is an important task that you must carry out as you prepare to move your vehicle. Failure to do so can make the shipping process difficult and might even lead to more expenses on your part and even damage to the vehicle. Therefore, to ensure you don’t experience any of these, we’ll guide you on how to prepare your car for shipping into and out of North Carolina.
Wash the Vehicle
One terrible mistake some folks make is to send their vehicle for shipping without washing it. We don’t expect you to do the same. Before your vehicle is picked up from your home or the terminal, ensure that you wash it thoroughly.
Why is this important you might wonder? Well, washing your car will reveal paint chips, dents, and scratches that the grime or dirt might have covered. This allows the carrier to properly inspect the car before transportation. With a clear view, there won’t be any false claim that will lead to a dispute from either party.
Properly Inspect the Car
The next thing is to inspect the vehicle for any damage. As we stated above, washing will reveal any damage the car might have. Ensure that you take note of where those damages are.
As you inspect the vehicle, we recommend that you take close-shot photos. You can check here to learn tips for shooting awesome car pictures. You also need to take note of the date you did the inspection. This documentation will allow you to claim compensation for any damage to your vehicle if it occurs.
Remove Personal Items
Auto transport companies are responsible and liable for anything that happens to your automobile. However, they aren’t responsible for the items kept in it. This means you won’t get compensated if an item you left in it gets stolen.
To avoid losses, ensure that you remove all the personal items before the transportation begins. It’s also wise to remove add-ons and toll tags. Disabling the custom alarm system (if your vehicle has one) is another thing you need to do. This will prevent your vehicle from causing disruptions during shipping.
Secure or Remove Loose Parts
Removable or loose exterior parts such as off-roading racks and lights should be removed or secured. For convertibles, ensure that you secure the top. This step is important because these parts can cause harm to your vehicle as well as others on the shipping carrier.
Furthermore, these removal parts can increase the height of your automobile. By extension, the car’s size is now larger than it normally is. Therefore, the shipping company will charge you more because the bigger the size, the more you pay.
Carry Out Maintenance Check
Don’t send out your vehicle without carrying out a routine maintenance check. You must ensure that it is working perfectly before the shipment. This will prevent you from having to deal with issues when you pick it up from delivery, especially if it’s terminal delivery.
If there’s any issue you can’t fix maybe because it’s close to pick up time, don’t hesitate to inform the shipping company. If the car cannot move on its own, they’ll get specialized equipment to move it. However, bear in mind that doing such will lead to a bump in the final cost.
The maintenance checks you need to carry out are battery charge, tire tread and pressure, and coolant and oil levels. The process of car shipping in North Carolina becomes smooth and hazard-free when you adhere to these maintenance checks. It’s also important to take note of your car mileage before transit and after you take delivery of it.
When you receive your automobile, the mileage might have a slight increase. This is not something you need to worry about because the trucker might have to unload and reload your automobile during the journey. You can only complain about the mileage increase when it is very significant.
Check the Fuel Level
Before you ship out your car, you need to check the fuel level. You don’t need a full tank; it’s expected that you keep the automobile as light as possible. Therefore, leave the tank a quarter full. This should be enough for the trucker to unload and reload it when necessary.
If you have an electric vehicle, you just need to have it charged between 45% to 65%. Don’t fail to leave the charging cables in case the EV needs charging. This is a safety guideline recommended by most manufacturers.
Conclusion
The above are ways to get your car ready for shipping in North Carolina. We also advise that you keep an extra keyset. This is necessary in case the trucker misplaces the one you give to them for the journey.
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