Do a 15-minute sweep before the tow arrives. 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 the seats, console, trunk, visors, and spare-tire area. Factory-reset the infotainment system so Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink, and any saved home address are erased. Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Remove access and security items
Start with anything that opens a door or gate. Take out the garage-door remote, gate fob, apartment access card, spare house keys, mailbox key, office badge, and valet key if it is not part of the vehicle key set. Check the visor clips, center console, cup holders, door pockets, and key tray. These items are easy to miss because they feel like part of daily driving.
Pull toll and billing items
Remove the toll transponder from the windshield or dashboard. Then remove the donated vehicle from the toll account so future tolls do not bill to you. Also take parking hangtags, garage decals, campus permits, workplace permits, and disability placards. If an item is tied to your name, account, address, or payment method, it should not leave with the car.
Clear glovebox documents
Open the glovebox and door pockets next. Remove your insurance card, registration copy, inspection papers, repair receipts, warranty papers, loan paperwork, and any document with your name, address, policy number, account number, or VIN notes. Keep anything you may need for tax records. If you are unsure whether a document matters, take it out and sort it later.
Sweep cabin and trunk
Do one slow lap through the vehicle. Check under all seats, between seat cushions, seat-back pockets, visors, the center console, cup holders, door pockets, the trunk, cargo bins, tool trays, and the spare-tire well. Look for phones, sunglasses, cash, cards, medication, garage receipts, chargers, keys, jewelry, firearms, and children’s items. Use a flashlight if the car is packed or dim.
Factory-reset saved electronics data
Reset the infotainment system if the screen works. Delete Bluetooth pairings, call logs, contact lists, navigation history, saved home and work addresses, garage-door programming, and HomeLink settings. If you cannot find the full factory reset, manually delete each phone and address you can find. Also remove USB drives, CDs, memory cards, and any connected phone cable you want to keep.
Remove optional aftermarket items
Take removable add-ons only if they are yours and removal will not damage the vehicle. Common examples include dash cams, phone mounts, removable GPS units, upgraded stereo faceplates, portable subwoofers, cargo organizers, and child seats. Leave the car intact and as-described. If an add-on was included when you described the vehicle to Lone Star Wheels, leave it or update the information first.
Leave keys and signed title
Place the vehicle keys where the tow driver can receive them, including required fobs or ignition keys. Leave the signed-over title with the car unless you were specifically told to handle it another way. Rules can vary by state; if your title situation is unusual, such as a lien, missing title, or mismatched names, contact the Texas DMV before handing over paperwork.
Items that need separate handling
Keep the sweep focused on personal, valuable, private, and billable items. Do not use this checklist to make title, plate, or notice decisions. Our License Plates After Donation guide covers what to do with plates. Our Release of Liability After Donation guide covers that notice. For this page, the main job is simple: remove what belongs to you, remove what can bill you, erase stored data, and leave the vehicle ready with the keys and signed-over title.
Common questions
Should I leave my insurance card in the car?
No. Remove the insurance card and any policy documents from the glovebox or console. They contain personal and account information. Keep them with your records until you confirm your coverage changes with your insurer. Also remove registration copies, repair invoices, and any paperwork that shows your address, phone number, or account details.
What if I forget my toll transponder?
Contact your toll account provider as soon as you notice. Ask how to deactivate the tag or remove the vehicle from the account. The physical tag and the online account both matter. Pulling the tag helps, but removing the vehicle from billing is the step that helps prevent later charges.
Can I remove a dash cam or upgraded stereo?
Yes, if it is yours, removable, and you can take it without damaging the vehicle. Remove memory cards from dash cams, too. Do not strip parts that were part of the vehicle description or needed for basic operation. If removing an item changes the condition you reported, update Lone Star Wheels before pickup.
What if the infotainment system will not turn on?
Remove any physical media first, such as USB drives, CDs, memory cards, or phone cables. If the screen is dead, you may not be able to factory-reset stored data yourself. Note that issue with your records. Still check for paired devices from your phone and delete the vehicle from your Bluetooth list if possible.
More donation prep guides
A careful 15-minute sweep protects your privacy, accounts, and belongings before free pickup. Work from security items to billing items, then documents, cabin storage, trunk areas, and saved electronics data. Leave the keys and signed-over title with the vehicle so the donation can move forward. Lone Star Wheels vehicle donations benefit Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). If you are ready, use this checklist once more before handoff.