Do a 15-minute sweep before the tow truck takes the car. Remove the garage-door remote, gate fobs, spare house keys, toll transponder, parking permits, disability placards, insurance card, registration, and glovebox papers. Check the seats, trunk, console, visors, and spare-tire area for personal items. Factory-reset the infotainment system, including Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink, and saved home address. Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Remove Security Items First
Start with anything that opens a door or identifies where you live. Take out garage-door remotes, gate clickers, building fobs, spare house keys, mailbox keys, storage-unit keys, and work badges. Check the visor, console tray, cupholders, and key ring. If a remote is built into the car, clear it later during the electronics reset.
Pull Toll and Billing Devices
Remove the toll transponder from the windshield or license-plate mount. Also remove the donated vehicle from your toll account so future charges do not follow the car. Look for parking permits, garage decals, fleet fuel cards, car-wash tags, and paid access stickers. If an account provider requires a separate cancellation step, follow that provider’s instructions.
Collect Glovebox Documents
Open the glovebox and door pockets. Remove the insurance card, registration, service receipts, warranty papers, roadside-assistance cards, old inspection paperwork, and anything with your address or policy number. Keep documents you may need for tax, insurance, or cancellation records. Do not leave medical papers, school forms, pay stubs, checkbooks, or old mail in the car.
Sweep Cabin and Trunk
Move front seats forward and back. Check under every seat, between cushions, seat-back pockets, visors, floor mats, door bins, the center console, cupholders, and the space around the pedals. Then check the trunk, cargo pockets, jack compartment, and spare-tire well. Look for cash, tools, sunglasses, medications, chargers, garage passes, children’s items, and anything you would not want transferred.
Wipe Stored Electronic Data
Use the vehicle settings menu to factory-reset the infotainment system if you can. Delete Bluetooth pairings, call logs, contacts, navigation history, saved home address, garage-door programming, and HomeLink buttons. Remove USB drives, SD cards, and CDs. If the battery is dead or the screen will not turn on, remove what you can and note the issue for your own records.
Remove Optional Add-Ons
Take aftermarket items only if removing them will not damage the vehicle or change what you reported. This may include dash cams, phone mounts, removable GPS units, upgraded speakers, bike racks, cargo boxes, and child seats. Leave the car intact and as-described. Do not pull factory equipment, safety parts, catalytic converters, airbags, or installed items that would make the car incomplete.
Leave Keys and Title
After the cleanout, put the keys and the signed-over title with the car. Include every key you intend to donate, such as the main key, spare key, valet key, and key fob. Do not pack the title inside a box of personal papers. Keep your own copies or photos of donation-related paperwork if you need them for your records.
Final Free Pickup-Day Checks
Do one last walkaround before free pickup. Look in the fuel door, sunglass holder, roof console, glovebox corners, trunk side panels, and under any removable cargo liner. For tag questions, use our separate guide, Georgia License Plates After Donation. For the release of liability, use our separate guide, Georgia Release of Liability After Donation. If a state agency, lender, or account issuer gives different instructions, follow the official source. For open motor-vehicle questions, contact the Georgia DMV before you send the car away.
Common questions
What if I forget to remove my toll transponder?
Contact your toll account provider as soon as you notice. Ask them to deactivate the device or remove the donated vehicle from the account. Charges and refund rules are handled by the account provider, not Wheels of Change, so use the provider’s online account, app, or customer-service process.
Should I remove a child seat or dash cam?
Yes, if the item is yours and can be removed without damaging the car. Child seats, dash cams, phone mounts, GPS units, and personal accessories should usually come out. Do not remove factory-installed safety equipment or anything you already described as part of the donated vehicle.
What if I cannot factory-reset the infotainment system?
Remove physical media first, including USB drives, SD cards, CDs, and charging cables. If the screen will not power on, you may not be able to delete stored data yourself. Make a note for your records and remove any connected phone from the vehicle in your phone’s Bluetooth settings.
More donation prep guides
A clean 15-minute sweep helps prevent personal, valuable, or billable items from leaving with your donation. Once the car is empty, leave the keys and signed-over title with it and keep your records separate. Wheels of Change accepts vehicle donations benefiting Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). For your Metro Atlanta pickup day, keep this checklist open for your final sweep.