Do a 15-minute sweep before your free 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, consoles, visors, seat-back pockets, the trunk, and the spare-tire well. Factory-reset the infotainment system, including Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink, and any saved home address. Also remove the vehicle from any toll account. Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Pull security items first
Start with anything that opens a door, gate, or building. Remove the garage-door remote, gate fob, spare house keys, mailbox keys, office keys, and storage-unit keys. Check the driver door pocket, cup holders, visor clips, center console tray, and key ring. If another family member used the car, ask them about hidden emergency keys before the tow truck arrives.
Remove billing items
Take out every toll transponder, parking payment tag, fuel card, fleet card, and prepaid pass. Do not stop at removing the device. Log in to the toll or parking account and remove this vehicle from the account, or contact the account provider. This helps prevent charges tied to the donated vehicle after it leaves your driveway.
Clear documents and permits
Empty the glovebox and door pockets. Remove your insurance card, registration copy, repair receipts, loan papers, warranty papers, parking permits, disability placards, and any document with an address, account number, or signature. Keep donation paperwork in a separate folder at home. Do not put personal papers back in the car while you are cleaning.
Sweep cabin and trunk
Work front to back. Check under the seats, between seat cushions, seat-back pockets, visors, the center console, door bins, cup holders, floor mats, and the trunk. Lift the trunk floor and check the spare-tire well. Look for sunglasses, cash, tools, medications, children’s items, phone chargers, garage clickers, and keepsakes that may have slid into hidden spaces.
Wipe stored car data
Use the infotainment settings to factory-reset the system, if the car allows it. Delete Bluetooth pairings, call history, contact lists, navigation destinations, saved home address, Wi-Fi settings, garage-door programming such as HomeLink, and app connections. If the screen is broken or the battery is dead, write down what you could not clear and keep that note with your records.
Remove optional aftermarket items
Remove personal add-ons only if doing so does not change the car from the way you described it. Common removals include dash cams, phone mounts, removable GPS units, upgraded stereos, custom floor mats, child seats, roof-rack accessories, and emergency kits. Leave factory equipment, required parts, and anything needed for safe loading. Do not strip the vehicle.
Leave pickup essentials
When the sweep is finished, leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car. Use the title instructions you were given and keep your own copies or photos for your records. Do a final pocket check before you close the doors. The goal is simple: personal, valuable, and billable items go with you; transfer items stay with the vehicle.
Set aside transfer paperwork
Make one small take-home stack before you start cleaning: donation confirmation, photos, notes, and copies of any signed paperwork. Keep it away from the vehicle so it cannot be picked up by mistake. For plates, use our separate guide: South Dakota License Plates After Donation. For filing after transfer, use our separate guide: South Dakota Release of Liability After Donation. Some paperwork rules vary by state and by vehicle status; if a title instruction or DMV record conflicts with your paperwork, contact the South Dakota DMV before the vehicle is towed.
Common questions
Should I leave my insurance card in the car?
No. Remove the insurance card and any proof-of-insurance documents from the glovebox, console, or visor. They show personal policy information and are not needed with the donated vehicle. Keep them with your records until you confirm your policy has been updated or cancelled for that vehicle.
What if I cannot factory-reset the infotainment system?
Do what the car allows. Try deleting paired phones, navigation destinations, saved addresses, HomeLink settings, and app connections one by one. If the screen, battery, or menu will not work, remove everything you can and make a short note for your file that the system could not be fully reset.
Can I remove a dash cam or upgraded stereo?
Yes, if it is yours and removing it does not damage the vehicle or change the donation description. Take removable dash cams, memory cards, mounts, and child seats. Be careful with wired stereos or alarms. If removal would leave missing panels, exposed wiring, or a nonworking car, leave it installed.
Where should I put the keys and title?
Keep them with the vehicle as instructed for pickup. Do not pack them with your personal papers or take-home folder. The signed-over title and the keys are the items the tow operator needs with the donated car, while your insurance card, valuables, toll device, and records should stay with you.
More donation prep guides
A clean handoff protects your privacy and keeps billing problems from following the car. Give yourself 15 minutes, move in order, and keep a take-home folder nearby. PrairieAuto Gifts uses donated vehicles to benefit Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). When your sweep is done, leave only the keys and signed-over title with the car, then you are ready for pickup.