Do a 15-minute sweep before the tow truck arrives. Remove the garage-door remote, toll transponder, parking permits, disability placards, insurance card, registration, glovebox papers, personal items, and valuables. Check under seats, visors, door pockets, the center console, trunk, and spare-tire well. Factory-reset the infotainment system, including Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink, and any saved home address. Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Remove Security Items First
Start with anything that could open a home, garage, gate, office, or storage unit. Pull the garage-door remote from the visor or console. Remove spare house keys, building fobs, mailbox keys, gate cards, and neighborhood access devices. Check the key ring too. Keep only the vehicle keys that need to stay with the car.
Pull Billing And Account Items
Remove the toll transponder, express-lane tag, parking garage card, fuel card, and any workplace parking permit. Then log in to the toll or parking account and remove this vehicle from the account, if the account lets you do that. This helps stop future charges tied to a plate, VIN, or transponder number after donation.
Clear The Glovebox Documents
Take out your insurance card, registration, maintenance receipts, loan papers, service contracts, warranty booklets, and any document with your name, address, phone number, policy number, or account number. Keep the owner manual only if you want it. Otherwise, it can stay. Do not remove the signed-over title; that belongs with the donated vehicle.
Sweep Cabin And Trunk
Open every storage spot. Check under the seats, between the cushions, seat-back pockets, door pockets, visors, cupholders, center console, glovebox, trunk corners, cargo trays, and the spare-tire well. Look for sunglasses, tools, chargers, medications, cash, documents, garage remotes, and children’s items. In the Milwaukee Metro, a quick flashlight check helps in winter or low light.
Wipe Stored Vehicle Data
Use the infotainment settings to delete personal data or run a factory reset. Remove Bluetooth pairings, call logs, contacts, navigation history, saved home and work addresses, garage-door HomeLink programming, Wi-Fi settings, and app logins. If the system asks whether to erase driver profiles, choose the full erase option. Take photos first if you need setup records.
Remove Optional Add-Ons Carefully
You may remove aftermarket items you added, such as a dash cam, phone mount, upgraded stereo faceplate, roof rack accessories, removable floor mats, or child seats. Do not strip parts that make the vehicle materially different from what you described. Leave the car intact, rollable if possible, and in the condition Cream City Keys expects for free pickup.
Leave Keys And Signed Title
Place the vehicle keys and the signed-over title where the pickup driver can receive them with the car. Include all keys needed to unlock, steer, shift, and release the parking brake. If you are unsure how to sign the title for your specific situation, stop and check with the Wisconsin DMV before handing it over.
Before The Tow Truck Leaves
Do one last walkaround with the doors, trunk, hatch, and console open. If something is personal, valuable, billable, or connected to your home, remove it. If something is needed to identify, unlock, move, or transfer the vehicle, leave it with the car. For license plates, use our separate guide, License Plates After Donation. For release of liability, use our separate guide, Release of Liability After Donation. Keep your own folder with copies, notes, and any account confirmations.
Common questions
Do I really need to remove the toll transponder?
Yes. Remove the physical transponder from the windshield or dash. Then remove the vehicle from the toll account, if your provider allows it. That second step matters because some accounts can bill by plate, transponder, or vehicle profile even after the tag is gone.
Should I leave the insurance card or registration in the glovebox?
No. Take your insurance card, registration, and any glovebox papers with personal or account information. Keep them for your records or shred what you do not need. The item that should stay with the car is the properly signed-over title, along with the keys.
Can I remove a dash cam or child seat before pickup?
Yes. Remove personal add-ons like a dash cam, child seat, phone mount, or removable storage organizer. If you remove aftermarket equipment, do it carefully and keep the vehicle as described. Do not take required parts or leave exposed wiring that creates a safety issue.
What if I forget something in the car?
Try to catch it before the vehicle leaves. Use the checklist slowly, and look in hidden areas like the spare-tire well, seat-back pockets, and visor clips. Once the car is gone, recovery may be difficult, especially for small personal items or documents mixed into the vehicle.
More donation prep guides
A clean sweep protects your accounts, your home, and your personal information. Take the items that belong to you. Leave the keys and signed-over title with the vehicle. Cream City Keys supports Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446) through donated vehicles, and this checklist helps you finish your part cleanly. When ready, keep it handy for your final walkaround.