Do a 15-minute sweep before the tow truck arrives. Remove garage-door remotes, spare house keys, toll transponders, parking permits, disability placards, insurance cards, registration papers, and all personal items. Check the glovebox, console, under seats, trunk, visors, and spare-tire well. Factory-reset the infotainment system so Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink, saved addresses, and your home location are gone. Pull dash cams or child seats if they are yours. Leave the keys and signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Remove security items first
Start with anything that can open a door or identify your home. Take out the garage-door remote, spare house keys, office keys, mailbox keys, gate cards, and building fobs. Check the key ring for keys that are not part of the vehicle. If the car has a built-in opener, you will wipe that HomeLink data later.
Pull billing items
Take the toll transponder off the windshield or out of the console. Then sign in to the toll account and remove this vehicle from the account, so later charges do not attach to the donated car. Also pull parking hangtags, paid garage cards, fuel cards, employee permits, and any disability placards that belong to you.
Clear glovebox documents
Remove the insurance card, registration copy, maintenance receipts, warranty papers, old citations, medical cards, checks, and anything with an account number or address. Empty the glovebox, center console, door pockets, and seat-back pockets. Keep only the signed-over title set aside for the final handoff, not mixed in with papers you are taking home.
Sweep cabin and trunk
Work front to back. Look under the seats, between cushions, inside cup holders, in map pockets, under floor mats, behind sun visors, and in every console tray. Open the trunk or hatch and check grocery bins, tool kits, cargo nets, and the spare-tire well. Remove sunglasses, chargers, cash, tools, clothing, and personal gear.
Wipe stored vehicle data
Use the screen menu to factory-reset the infotainment system if the car has one. Delete Bluetooth pairings, saved phones, call history, navigation destinations, the saved home address, and garage-door programming such as HomeLink. If you cannot find the reset option, delete each paired phone and address manually before you leave the vehicle.
Remove optional add-ons
Take aftermarket items only if they are yours and removing them will not damage the car or change what you described. Common removals include dash cams, phone mounts, upgraded stereos, removable speakers, roof-rack accessories, child seats, and personal emergency kits. Leave factory equipment, attached parts, and the vehicle intact and as-described.
Leave required handoff items
After the sweep, put the vehicle keys and the signed-over title with the car. Do not leave toll tags, remotes, account cards, or private papers with them. If there is more than one key, leave the vehicle keys only. Keep your photos or copies of donation documents wherever you store tax and household records.
Keep DMV tasks separate
This checklist is only for what should be removed from the vehicle before donation. Ownership and tag rules can work differently by jurisdiction. Some use online notices, while others use paper or in-person DMV steps. If you are not certain which regime applies to a vehicle titled in Virginia, confirm with the Virginia DMV. For license plates, use our What To Do With License Plates After Donating a Car guide. For release of liability, use our Release of Liability After Donating a Car guide.
Common questions
Should I leave my registration or insurance card in the car?
No. Take the insurance card, registration copy, and any glovebox papers that show your name, address, policy number, account number, or repair history. The tow does not need those private documents. The item that should stay with the vehicle is the signed-over title.
What if I cannot factory-reset the screen?
Delete what you can manually. Start with paired phones, Bluetooth contacts, call logs, navigation favorites, saved home address, and garage-door settings. If the screen is dead or locked, remove personal documents and devices, then note the issue in your own records.
Can I take my dash cam, stereo, or child seat?
Yes, if it belongs to you and removal does not damage the vehicle or change its described condition. Take removable dash cams, phone mounts, child seats, and personal emergency kits. Leave built-in factory parts and anything needed for the car to remain intact.
More donation prep guides
A clean sweep protects your privacy and prevents billable items from riding away with the car. Once you have removed personal, valuable, and account-linked items, leave the keys and signed-over title with the vehicle for Wheels for Impact. Your donation supports Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). If the checklist is done, you are ready for the pickup handoff.