Do a 15-minute sweep before the tow truck arrives. Remove the garage-door remote, spare house keys, toll transponder, parking permits, disability placards, insurance card, registration, glovebox papers, personal items, and anything valuable. Then factory-reset the infotainment system: delete Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink settings, and any saved home address. Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Remove security access items
Start with anything that opens a door, gate, garage, or building. Take the garage-door remote off the visor or console. Remove spare house keys, mailbox keys, storage-unit keys, work badges, gate cards, and apartment fobs. Check the key ring too. Only the vehicle keys should stay with the car at the end.
Pull billing devices
Remove the toll transponder from the windshield, glovebox, or console. Do not leave it for the next owner, auction, or recycler to use by mistake. After you pull the device, log in to the toll account and remove the donated vehicle from that account. Also take out paid parking passes, hangtags, fuel cards, and fleet cards.
Clear glovebox documents
Empty the glovebox and door pockets of paperwork that identifies you or bills you. Remove the insurance card, registration, repair invoices, loan papers, service contracts, owner notes, receipts, and envelopes. Take parking permits and disability placards too. If a document has your name, address, account number, VIN history, or payment details, keep it.
Sweep cabin and trunk
Work front to back. Check the center console, cupholders, under both front seats, between seat cushions, seat-back pockets, visors, overhead sunglass holder, rear floor, cargo pockets, trunk, and spare-tire well. Look for phones, chargers, tools, sunglasses, medication, cash, garage receipts, child items, and personal paperwork. Take anything you would not want handled by a stranger.
Wipe stored vehicle data
Use the infotainment settings to delete stored personal data. Remove Bluetooth pairings, phone contacts, call logs, navigation history, saved destinations, and the saved home address. Reset HomeLink or built-in garage controls. If the system offers a factory reset, run it before pickup. Unplug USB drives, memory cards, and phone cables after the reset.
Remove add-ons, leave essentials
Take optional aftermarket items only if removal is simple and does not change the vehicle from the condition you described. Common removals include dash cams, upgraded stereos, removable GPS units, bike racks, child seats, and personal emergency kits. Do not strip factory parts. When you are done, leave the vehicle keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Two related cleanup items
This checklist is for personal, valuable, billable, and data-related items inside the vehicle. Ownership and notice rules are handled through state motor vehicle processes, not through the cabin sweep. For plates, use our License Plates After Donation guide. For post-donation reporting, use our Release of Liability After Donation guide. If you are unsure how your title should be signed or handled, confirm with the Indiana DMV before leaving paperwork with the car.
Common questions
Should I leave my insurance card in the glovebox?
No. Remove the insurance card and any proof-of-insurance paperwork before pickup. It has personal and policy information on it, and the donated vehicle should not continue to appear active on your documents. Contact your insurer separately after donation if you need to remove the vehicle from your policy.
What if I forgot something after the car is picked up?
Call Indy Car Connect as soon as you notice. Recovery is not guaranteed once a vehicle has moved through towing, intake, or sale steps, so the best protection is the 15-minute sweep before pickup. Check hidden spots carefully, especially under seats, in the trunk, and in the spare-tire well.
Can I remove a stereo, dash cam, or child seat?
Yes, if it is your item and removal is simple. Take dash cams, removable GPS units, child seats, toll devices, and personal accessories. For installed equipment, do not leave exposed wires, missing panels, or a changed condition that no longer matches what you described during the donation process.
More donation prep guides
A clean sweep protects your privacy and helps the handoff go smoothly. Remove access devices, billing tags, documents, personal items, and stored data. Leave the keys and signed-over title with the car. Indy Car Connect accepts vehicle donations benefiting Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). When your sweep is complete, keep your remaining paperwork together and you are ready for pickup.