Do a 15-minute sweep before free pickup. Remove the garage-door remote, spare house keys, toll transponder, parking permits, disability placards, insurance card, registration, glovebox papers, valuables, and loose personal items. Check under seats, pockets, visors, consoles, the trunk, and the spare-tire well. Then factory-reset the infotainment system so Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink, saved addresses, and garage settings are gone. Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Remove access and security items
Start with anything that can open a door, gate, or garage. Take the garage-door remote out of the visor, console, or door pocket. Remove spare house keys, mailbox keys, gate fobs, storage-unit keys, office badges, and neighborhood access cards. If a valet key is hidden in the cabin, take it unless it is the vehicle key needed for pickup.
Pull billable account items
Take out the toll transponder, parking pass, airport tag, building permit, and any meter card tied to a payment account. Then log in to the toll or parking account and remove the donated vehicle from that account. This matters even if the tag is out of the car, because plates or vehicle details may still be saved for billing.
Clear glovebox documents
Open the glovebox and pull anything with your name, address, policy number, or payment information. Take the insurance card, old registration, repair invoices, roadside-assistance cards, loan papers, inspection notes, and dealership envelopes. Keep any medical, school, or work papers. Do not use this step to remove the signed-over title; that belongs with the vehicle at pickup.
Sweep cabin and trunk
Move front seats forward and back so you can check underneath. Look in seat-back pockets, door bins, cup holders, visors, sunglasses holders, the center console, and side cargo pockets. Check the trunk, cargo floor, jack compartment, spare-tire well, tool tray, and under any mats. Remove cash, chargers, sunglasses, garage receipts, children’s items, medication, and anything you would not want leaving on the tow truck.
Wipe stored electronic data
Factory-reset the infotainment system if the menu allows it. Delete Bluetooth pairings, contacts, call history, saved navigation destinations, and the saved home address. Clear HomeLink or built-in garage-door settings. If there is no reset option, delete each paired phone and saved address manually. Remove USB drives, SD cards, phone mounts, and any adapter plugged into the data port.
Remove optional add-ons carefully
You may remove personal add-ons such as a dash cam, phone mount, child seat, upgraded floor mats, or a portable stereo unit if they were not part of the donation description. Keep the car intact and as-described for Palmetto Wheels Exchange. Do not pull fixed parts in a way that leaves loose wiring, open holes, missing safety equipment, or a condition different from what you reported.
Leave pickup items inside
Leave the vehicle keys with the car, including the main key and any required fob. Leave the signed-over title with the car in the agreed spot, often the glovebox or with the keys. If names, lien releases, or replacement-title rules are unclear, do not guess. Requirements can vary by state, so check the SCDMV before pickup if you are unsure.
Do Not Pack These
The two items that should stay with the donated vehicle are the keys and the signed-over title. Put them together where they will be easy to find, but not mixed into papers you are keeping. If more than one person is listed on the title, confirm the signing requirement before pickup instead of assuming. For plates, use our License Plate Guide. For release of liability, use our Release of Liability Guide. Everything else in this checklist is about protecting your personal property, billing accounts, and stored data.
Common questions
Should I remove my toll transponder if the car is being donated?
Yes. Take the transponder out of the vehicle, then remove the donated vehicle from the toll account itself. Some accounts store vehicle details separately from the physical tag. Removing both helps prevent future charges from being tied to a car you no longer control.
What if I cannot find the title during my sweep?
Do not send the vehicle without understanding the title issue. If the title is missing, damaged, has a lien, or lists names that are not simple to sign, check the DMV requirement before pickup and contact Palmetto Wheels Exchange with the situation.
Do I have to factory-reset the infotainment system?
Yes, if the vehicle has that option. A reset is the fastest way to clear phone pairings, contacts, call logs, navigation history, saved home address, and garage-door programming. If the system does not offer a reset, delete each phone, saved address, and HomeLink setting manually.
Can I take out a child seat or dash cam?
Yes. Remove personal safety seats, dash cams, phone mounts, portable chargers, and similar add-ons before pickup. If an item is built into the car or was part of how you described the donation, leave the vehicle intact and avoid removing anything that changes its reported condition.
More donation prep guides
A short sweep protects your home access, billing accounts, documents, personal items, and stored electronic data. Work from front to back, then place the keys and signed-over title with the car. Palmetto Wheels Exchange accepts vehicle donations benefiting Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). If your pickup is already set, use this checklist once now and once more before the tow truck arrives.