Take 15 minutes before the tow truck arrives. Remove garage-door remotes, spare house keys, toll transponders, parking permits, disability placards, your insurance card, registration papers, and anything personal or valuable. Empty the glovebox, console, seat pockets, trunk, visors, and spare-tire area. Factory-reset the infotainment system so Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink buttons, saved addresses, and contacts are gone.
Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Remove security access items
Start with anything that opens a door or gives access to a private place. Pull the garage-door remote from the visor, console, or key ring. Remove spare house keys, mailbox keys, gate fobs, building-entry cards, and workplace access badges. Check any magnetic key holder under the bumper or in the wheel well if you used one.
Pull billing and permit items
Take the toll transponder out of the windshield mount or glovebox. Then log in to the toll account and remove this vehicle from the account, so future charges do not follow the tag or plate record. Also pull parking permits, campus stickers, work-lot hangtags, apartment decals, and disability placards that belong to you, not the vehicle.
Clear glovebox documents
Remove your insurance card, old registration, inspection receipts, repair invoices, and any papers with your address, account numbers, or signature. Check the glovebox folders and owner-manual pouch. Keep donation paperwork you need for your records. Do not pack the signed-over title away with these papers; it stays with the vehicle at the end.
Sweep cabin and trunk
Now do a slow cabin sweep. Look under both front seats, between the seat and console, inside center-console bins, seat-back pockets, door pockets, cup holders, sunglass holders, visors, and floor mats. Open the trunk or hatch and check cargo nets, side cubbies, emergency kits, reusable bags, and the spare-tire well. Remove personal tools only if they are yours.
Wipe stored electronics data
Use the infotainment menu to delete stored personal data. Remove Bluetooth pairings, call history, contacts, garage codes saved through HomeLink, navigation favorites, and the saved home address. If the system offers a factory reset, use it after you remove anything you need. If a reset requires a code you do not have, delete items one by one.
Remove optional add-ons carefully
Remove optional aftermarket items only if taking them will not change the car from the condition you described. That can include a dash cam, phone mount, upgraded stereo faceplate, custom floor mats, or child seat. Leave built-in parts, required equipment, and anything needed to move the car safely. When you are done, leave the keys and signed-over title with the car.
Paperwork and final placement
Place the keys and signed-over title with the vehicle, in the exact spot your pickup instructions identify. If no specific spot was given, keep them together and ready to set in the car at handoff. Title-signing details can vary by state and title type. Some transfers need only the named owner’s signature; others may need all listed owners or extra verification. If your title has special wording, check the Missouri DMV before changing it. For plates, use our separate guide, License Plate Removal Before Donation. For transfer notice questions, use our separate guide, Release of Liability After Vehicle Donation.
Common questions
Should I leave the insurance card in the car?
No. Remove the insurance card and any policy paperwork before donation pickup. Those documents contain personal information and may list other vehicles or household members. Keep them with your records or shred old copies if you no longer need them.
Do I need to remove the toll transponder too?
Yes. Pull the physical transponder, and also remove the donated vehicle from your toll account. Doing both steps helps prevent future charges from following the tag, windshield device, or vehicle record after the car leaves your possession.
What if I forget something in the vehicle?
Contact Wheels for Good as soon as you notice. Recovery is not guaranteed once a vehicle has been moved or processed, so the safest choice is to finish the full sweep before the keys and signed-over title go with the car.
More donation prep guides
A clean sweep protects your privacy and prevents billable items from leaving with the vehicle. Once personal items, account devices, documents, and stored data are removed, the car can go with the keys and signed-over title in place. Your donation through Wheels for Good supports Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). If your checklist is complete, you are ready for free pickup.