Do a 15-minute sweep before free pickup. Remove the garage-door remote, spare house keys, toll transponder, parking permits, disability placards, insurance card, registration, and loose glovebox documents. Pull personal items from the cabin, trunk, console, visors, seat pockets, and under the seats.
Factory-reset the infotainment system so Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink, saved home address, and navigation history are gone. Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Remove remotes and spare keys
Start with anything that could open a door after the car leaves. Take out the garage-door remote. Remove spare house keys, mailbox keys, office keys, storage-unit keys, and key cards. Check the driver door pocket and center console first, because these are common drop spots. If the vehicle has built-in garage controls, you will clear those during the electronics reset step.
Pull toll and billing items
Remove the toll transponder from the windshield, plate mount, glovebox, or console. Then log in to the toll account and remove this vehicle from the account. Do the same for any paid parking device, fleet fuel card, car-wash pass, or access tag. Taking the tag out is not always enough if the vehicle is still listed on a billing account.
Clear glovebox documents
Take out the insurance card, registration, old repair invoices, loan paperwork, receipts, and anything with your address, phone number, account number, or VIN notes. Keep whatever you need for your records. Do not leave medical papers, school forms, employee badges, checkbooks, or envelopes. The title is the exception: the signed-over title stays with the car.
Sweep cabin and trunk
Work front to back. Check under the seats, between the seats, seat-back pockets, door pockets, cup holders, visors, center console, rear floor, and cargo area. Open the trunk and look around the spare-tire well, jack compartment, side bins, and under mats. Remove sunglasses, tools you want to keep, chargers, cash, medications, umbrellas, clothing, and personal plates or decorations.
Factory-reset vehicle electronics
Use the infotainment settings menu to delete your data. Remove Bluetooth pairings, contacts, call history, saved Wi-Fi, navigation history, saved home address, garage-door programming through HomeLink, and app connections. If the car uses a companion app, remove the vehicle from that app too. If you cannot find a reset option, manually delete each pairing and saved location before the tow truck arrives.
Remove optional add-ons carefully
You may remove items that are clearly yours and not part of the vehicle condition you described. This can include dash cams, phone mounts, upgraded floor mats, removable cargo boxes, child seats, and personal emergency kits. Be careful with upgraded stereos, speakers, roof racks, or installed electronics. Leave the car intact and as-described, and do not remove parts needed for safe loading.
Leave keys and title
Put the car keys and any working key fobs with the vehicle. Leave the signed-over title with the car, in the spot you were instructed to use or in a clearly marked envelope if that was agreed. Do one last pocket check before closing the doors. Do not leave your insurance card, toll tag, personal documents, or spare house keys with the paperwork.
Paperwork to keep or leave
The donation can move cleanly only when the ownership paperwork is handled correctly. Sign the title only where the titled owner is supposed to sign, use the name printed on the title, and avoid scratch-outs. Keep a photo or copy of the signed title for your records before it leaves. If there is a lien, missing title, deceased owner, business owner, or name mismatch, check with the Michigan DMV/Secretary of State before relying on general guidance. For license plates, use our License Plate Guide. For transfer reporting, use our Release of Liability Guide.
Quick sweep order
If you are short on time, use this order: security, billing, documents, belongings, electronics, add-ons, then keys and title. That sequence prevents the most common problems first. It also keeps the signed-over title from being mixed into the glovebox pile by mistake. Place removed items in one box or bag as you go. After the final sweep, close the car with only the keys, key fobs, and signed-over title left for pickup.
Common questions
Should I leave my registration in the car?
No. Remove the registration, insurance card, and routine glovebox papers unless you were specifically told to include a document. These papers can show your address, policy information, or other private details. The main paperwork that should stay with the vehicle is the signed-over title, along with the keys and key fobs.
Is removing the toll transponder enough?
Not usually. Take the transponder out of the car, then remove the vehicle from the toll account or parking account. A tag can be misplaced, but an account listing can still create billing problems if the plate or vehicle stays active. Check each account tied to the car before pickup.
Do I really need to reset the infotainment system?
Yes, if the vehicle has stored data. A reset can remove paired phones, contacts, call history, saved addresses, garage-door programming, and navigation history. If a full factory reset is not available, delete each phone, HomeLink setting, saved location, and connected app manually before the car leaves.
Can I remove a dash cam or child seat?
Yes. Remove personal add-ons like dash cams, child seats, phone mounts, and removable organizers. Be cautious with installed equipment. If taking something out changes the condition you described, damages the car, or removes a needed part, leave it in place or ask MotorCity Wheels before removing it.
More donation prep guides
A 15-minute sweep protects your privacy, avoids surprise charges, and keeps the donation paperwork in order. Remove personal, valuable, and billable items first. Then reset the electronics and leave the keys and signed-over title with the car. MotorCity Wheels helps Metro Detroit donors support Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). When your sweep is done, you are ready for the next step.