Your vehicle is an important asset, so when it comes time to ship it long distance, it is necessary to take the proper precautions to ensure a safe and efficient journey. If you must ship your vehicle soon, whether within or across state lines, it is strongly encouraged by automotive professionals to educate yourself on the best practices before sending it off. This means trying your best to avoid the common mistakes car owners make when transporting their vehicles.
Continue reading to learn some vital tips about shipping vehicles long distances, and then apply these tips to your own car shipping endeavors.
Getting Started
First, your most important priority is to choose a qualified and experienced long distance towing company to provide your service. Tow truck companies are plentiful, but only a select few are true industry professionals that perform large-scale and intricate towing, transportation, and recovery services. Skip over the “Kevin’s” and “Bob’s” tow truck businesses, and instead, choose an official and established company like Zore’s Towing of Indianapolis.
Checklist for Car Shipping
Once you have a long-distance towing company you wish to hire, contact them to set up your service. From there, all you have to do is make all the necessary preparations before your scheduled pickup day. Here is a checklist of all the tasks you should complete ahead of shipping your vehicle long distance:
☑ Service Your Car
Take your car into a local auto shop and have it serviced from top to bottom. This includes filling up all your automotive fluids, tending to your tires, replacing brake pads, and more. Doing so will ensure your vehicle can withstand the shipping process and arrive in a ready-to-drive condition.
☑ Clean Your Car
Give your car a good cleansing, inside and out, before shipping it off. Not only will this be nice for you or whoever is receiving the vehicle when it arrives after shipping, it will reduce the accumulation of dirt and grime that occurs during long distance road trips, and therefore, reduce wear and tear. Take out all your personal belongings and make the car as light as possible.
☑ Record Any Damages
Take out your pen and notepad, as well as a camera, and record all current damages on your vehicle’s exterior. Do this for the interior as well. This evidence will serve as protection in the case that any damages are incurred during transportation on behalf of the towing company.
☑ Empty Your Gas Tank
Before shipping a car long distance, you want to virtually empty the contents of your gas tank. Leave the tank about a quarter full. This way, your vehicle does not have any added weight that can slow down travel efficiency. Furthermore, you might want to disarm any alarm systems.
☑ Check Your Policy
Contact your insurance company to check your automotive coverage during transportation. If you are not covered, you might want to consider some supplementary insurance just in case anything happens on the road. However, most car insurance policies cover car shipping.
Long Distance Towing Services in Indiana
Call Zore’s Inc. at 317-247-8484 for heavy equipment transport service in Indianapolis, Indiana. We are a family owned and operated company with more than 75 years in business here in Indiana! In addition to towing, we offer a wide range of services for Hoosiers, including roadside assistance, scrap metal recycling, cash for junk cars, towing and recovery, storm damage, traffic clearance, and much more.