Preparing Your Vehicle for Transport
Fuel, personal items, alarms, accessories and what to photograph before the driver arrives.
Twenty minutes of preparation prevents almost every problem we see at collection. Here is the whole list.
The day before
Essentials
- Fuel to about a quarter tank. Enough to load and unload, not enough to add unnecessary mass to the truck.
- Remove every personal item. Belongings are not covered by transit insurance, and they add mass we are legally accountable for. Boxes in the boot are a genuinely bad idea.
- Wash it. Not vanity. A clean car makes the condition report meaningful. Existing marks you cannot see cannot be recorded.
- Photograph it yourself. All four corners, the roof, the wheels, and close-ups of any existing damage. Two minutes, and it is yours to keep independent of ours.
Secure or remove
- Retract or remove aerials
- Fold the mirrors
- Remove bike racks, roof boxes and magnetic signage
- Secure or remove loose trim and spoilers
- Take out anything on the parcel shelf or dashboard
- Remove toll tags if you do not want them read in transit
Mechanical
- Check for fluid leaks. A leaking vehicle can be refused, because it drips onto the car below it
- Tyres at normal pressure, including the spare
- Note anything unusual about starting it: a hot-start issue, a trick with the immobiliser
- Disable any aftermarket alarm, or give us the code and the sequence
Keys and documents
- One set of keys travels with the vehicle. We need to move it on and off the truck.
- Keep the spare set with you. Do not send both.
- No registration papers or ownership documents need to travel with it.
Heading to Western Australia? Add an underbody wash to this list, and mean it: wheel arches, mud flaps, the diff, and the underslung spare. WA inspects every vehicle entering the state, and a dirty undercarriage means a cleaning fee, a re-inspection fee and lost days.
What to tell us before the truck is dispatched
These change which truck we send, not whether we take the job. Saying nothing and hoping is the only version that goes badly.
- It does not start, or cannot be driven onto a ramp
- It is lowered, or has low clearance for any other reason
- It has a lift kit, bull bar, roof rack, rooftop tent, tray or canopy
- It is unregistered
- Access at either address is tight, steep, gated or restricted by hours
Price held for 30 days
Find out what your move actually costs.
Send us the route and the vehicle. We come back with a fixed price and a real departure date, held for 30 days.
Straight through to us
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+61 489 989 099 Mon–Fri, 7:00am–6:00pm AEST
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WhatsApp Same number, quickest reply
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bookings@intercityvehicletransport.com Replied to same business day
