Moving to a new city opens up opportunities to mingle with new people, explore new environments, and learn new ways of living. While the thought of moving to another city can be exciting to everyone, the excitement is short-lived when you start figuring out how you’ll move your car. At this point, you might get torn apart between hiring a professional car moving company and driving the vehicle yourself.
However, if you’ll be moving to a city hundreds of miles away from your current location, it’s advisable to incorporate a transport company. Such companies are experienced and will deliver your car in one piece. Nevertheless, deciding to ship your vehicle using a transport company doesn’t end at that. There are things you need to do to ensure that you’ve chosen the right company and cooperate to make a move easier.
Here’s a guide to transporting your vehicle to another city without breaking a sweat:
Pick An Exact Date
While you might have an idea of when to move to another city, it’s always a good idea to pick an actual date ahead of time. Determining exactly when to move helps you get transportation quotes for transporting your vehicle. Also, when you select a date ahead of time, you’ll have enough time to get moving costs from different moving companies. This will help you narrow down your options depending on prices.
Though most transporters are on stand-by and flexible to do what they do best, it’s advisable to notify them of your move about seven days before. Remember, there might be other clients requiring the same company’s services, and failing to schedule your move ahead of time might keep you in the waiting line.
Ask About Car Movers
It’s most likely that you know at least a friend who has moved out of the city. Give them a call to learn more about their car shipping experience, how they did it, and which transport company they used. This information will help you decide whether to hire the same company and know what to expect. You can also ask about the requirements for easier car moving and cost estimation.
Select The Right Service
Car moving companies often offer two types of shipping services. They either ship your car using an open-air trailer or enclosed truck. Your choice should be based on the shape and size of your vehicle, distance, and protection against environmental factors such as sun, rain, or snow.
Enclosed trucks are safer for your car than open-air trailers as they protect vehicles against the sun, rains, and other things, but come at a higher price. If you want to keep protecting your car’s paint even in your new home, you may want to visit metalcarports.com to understand why you should have a metal carport in your home and how to construct it.
Research Vehicle Moving Companies
If you’re not satisfied with the information on how someone else shipped their car and their experience, it won’t hurt to do more research on different car moving companies. Call or research various vehicle transporters and ask relevant questions about their moving process and their quotes while informing them when you’d want to move. However, you should ensure that the companies you’re communicating with are reputable and dependable.
You should also understand that it’s essential to provide the moving company with your car model information, your destination, and the moving date. This information is vital for the transporting company when determining costs.
Empty The Vehicle
Ensure that you empty and clean your car properly. If you move your vehicle with other things inside it, it’ll be heavier and attract additional costs. Also, shipping a car with stuff inside it can damage the car. However, while emptying your vehicle, remember to keep important documents such as registration papers and driving licenses safe.
Inspect Your Car Keenly
Take your time to inspect your car thoroughly. Check whether there are dents, scratches, or broken parts. Photograph the vehicle from different angles as proof of its condition. If the vehicle bears any damage, write it down. This way, you’ll get to know if your vehicle sustained damages during shipping, and you can make a claim to your insurer.
Notify Your Insurance Agent
Before moving, ensure to notify your insurer about your plans. It’s a good idea to be prepared if anything happens to your car during the move. Failure to inform your insurer about your moving might be challenging to file a claim if anything happens to your vehicle during shipping.
Don’t Fill The Car With Fuel
If you’ll be using a car transport truck to ship your vehicle, there’s no need to fill it with fuel. Filling your vehicle with fuel means additional weight, leading to additional costs. All your car requires is a small amount of fuel for emergency use, and it’s good to go.
Inspect Your Car Upon Arrival
Incidences happen during moving, so you should be there when the transport company delivers your car to determine if it’s in good condition. Double-check every aspect of your vehicle to ensure that nothing happened on the way. After delivery, the driver will provide you with a transport contract copy to sign. Remember, you should first ensure that your car is in perfect condition before signing anything—failure to which you’ll cater for any damage that might occur to the vehicle during the move.
Conclusion
Moving is already a stressful process that can be overwhelming. You have to ensure that all your items are safely packed to prevent breakage and damage during the move, and make sure that they make it to your new home. The moving process can be even more stressful if you’re moving your car with you.
Fortunately, this practical guide helps you ensure that your car is safely moved from the current city to another without difficulty. All you need is to prepare ahead of time, work with a reputable car moving company, and cooperate for a smooth move. Also, you should choose the right service for additional protection for your vehicle during moving.
