Do a 15-minute sweep before donation pickup. Remove the garage-door remote, spare house keys, toll transponder, parking permits, disability placards, insurance card, registration, glovebox papers, valuables, and personal items. Check under seats, visors, the center console, trunk, and spare-tire well. Factory-reset the infotainment system, including Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink, and any saved home address. Leave the vehicle keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Remove security access items
Start with anything that opens doors or gives access. Take the garage-door remote, gate cards, spare house keys, mailbox keys, storage-unit keys, and any hidden magnetic key box. Check the console tray, driver door pocket, and visor clips. Look at the key ring before you leave it with the car. Only the vehicle keys should remain for pickup.
Stop billing before pickup
Pull the toll transponder from the windshield or dashboard. Then remove the vehicle from the toll account so future charges do not attach to you. Take paid parking hangtags, employee parking stickers, apartment permits, campus decals, and disability placards. If a permit is stuck to glass, remove it carefully or photograph it before disposal for your own records.
Clear documents and papers
Open the glovebox and door pockets. Remove the insurance card, registration, maintenance receipts, warranty papers, inspection papers, old finance documents, and anything with your name, address, phone number, policy number, or account number. Keep manuals only if you want them. If the title is already signed over, set it aside so it can stay with the car at pickup.
Sweep cabin and trunk
Work front to back. Check under both front seats, between seat cushions, seat-back pockets, floor mats, cupholders, the center console, visors, overhead sunglass holders, and all door bins. Then check the trunk, cargo side pockets, tool kit area, and spare-tire well. Remove cash, sunglasses, phone chargers, work badges, medical items, house paperwork, and personal photos.
Wipe saved vehicle data
Use the infotainment settings to delete personal data or complete a factory reset. Remove Bluetooth pairings, phone contacts, call history, navigation history, garage programming through HomeLink, saved home or work addresses, Wi-Fi settings, and app logins. If you cannot find the reset menu, delete each paired device one by one and clear navigation favorites manually.
Finish add-ons and leave items
Remove optional aftermarket items only if doing so will not damage the vehicle or change what you described. Common examples include dash cams, removable GPS units, upgraded stereos, subwoofers, phone mounts, bike racks, and child seats. Leave the car intact, with normal parts in place. Last, place the vehicle keys and the signed-over title where they will be available with the car.
Paperwork to keep separate
Put one folder or envelope in your house for items you are keeping: insurance card, registration, toll account note, parking permit proof, repair receipts, and photos of the signed title for your records. State paperwork can vary. Title signatures, lien releases, replacement titles, and name mismatch questions should be confirmed with the Tennessee DMV before pickup. For license plates, use our separate guide: License Plates After Donating a Car. For release of liability, use our separate guide: Release of Liability After Donating a Car.
Common questions
Should I leave the title in the glovebox?
Leave the signed-over title with the vehicle, but do not bury it under papers. Put it with the keys or in another obvious spot agreed for pickup. Keep a copy or photo for your records. If the title has not been signed correctly, confirm the right title steps before leaving it.
Do I need to remove child seats or dash cams?
Yes, remove child seats, dash cams, phone mounts, and similar add-ons if you want to keep them. Do not remove built-in parts in a way that damages the vehicle or changes its condition from what you reported. If removal requires tools and could leave damage, leave the vehicle intact.
What if I forget a personal item?
Contact donor services as soon as you notice. Recovery may not be possible once a vehicle has been transported or processed, so the best protection is the sweep before pickup. Check small spaces carefully, especially under seats, in the center console, in the trunk corners, and inside the spare-tire well.
More donation prep guides
After this sweep, the car can leave with its keys, signed-over title, and no personal access, bills, papers, valuables, or saved data attached. Tennessee Auto Legacy uses your donation to support Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). If your keep folder is set aside and the car matches the description you gave, take a few minutes now and run the final sweep.