Are you moving soon, but you’re unsure of how to move your car safely? Bahrain Shipping will help you prepare your car for shipping overseas. Whether you’re moving overseas or selling your car, you will need to prepare it for shipping properly. To do so, you will need international car shipping services to help you succeed without any inconveniences. To find out more about the process, dive in!
You need a trustworthy, experienced international car shipping company
You can’t prepare your car for shipping overseas properly without international car shipping. Fourwinds Bahrain can help you transport your car safely overseas, all while staying within the borders of international shipping and border rules. You don’t want to risk hiring an unreliable shipping company and having your car scratched or returned because they lack expertise.
Before you do anything you will need appropriate documentation for your car
The absolute step zero to the car shipping process is having all of the documents ready. You will need proof that the car belongs to you. There are also more documents that you will definitely need:
- Information about your vehicle’s registration
- A document that you use for identification. It must be valid, not expired, and you can use your passport, for example.
- The proof that you own your car, whatever it may be. If you’re not sure whether the document that you have applies, call the car shipping company and check.
- Original vehicle title
- Proof of insurance
Those are the basic documents that you will need. When you’re shipping overseas, expect that you will need additional paperwork. To make sure that you have all of the documents, contact the car shipping companies and customs.
The first step to preparing your car for shipping overseas is cleaning it
To properly prepare your car, you will need to clean it thoroughly. This will help you evaluate the condition of the car. If there are any scratches, they will show after the wash. It’s important to properly assess the damage and, after that, take high-quality photographs of all the scratches. That way, when your car arrives at the destination, you will have proof of the dents and scratches that weren’t there before. The photographs should be taken up close, to show the level of damage. There should also be photos of the car as a whole, from many different angles. All in all, be as thorough as possible because your insurance depends on it.
After cleaning, take care of the interior
You should clean the interior, and remove all of the items that are inside. If you have any of your personal items laying around, make sure that you take them out. Consider whether you have left permits, wallet, licenses, bike racks, or anything at all inside. The same goes for air fresheners, GPS systems, and car spoilers. Don’t forget about the cables, sunglasses and all of the documents in your car. You will also need to disable any security car systems to prevent them from going off. Note that all of the items that are inside your car won’t be insured. That means, if they disappear or get damaged during the transport, you won’t get compensated for the damage. Moreover, the company can get charged if they move your personal belongings in your car.
What else should you do to prepare your car for shipping overseas?
- Make sure that you charge your battery fully.
- Check your car’s tires. They should be inflated to the maximum. If they are deflated, or they deflate during the shipping process, this may damage the tires and induce additional costs.
- Check the car mileage before the pickup and delivery. Note the numbers.
- Bring your car to the mechanic for an overall analysis. If there is anything that needs to be fixed, do it right away. Don’t send over the car that has leaks. They may induce damage to the car itself or to other ones if they are shipped over in the shared containers. Don’t forget to document all of the problems if there are any. Take pictures of the insides of the car as well.
- If there are big differences in the climate between your current city and the city that the car is being shipped to, make sure that you prepare it. This includes getting the equipment in advance, putting it on, and having all of the spare parts that are necessary. This also goes for the liquids inside your car such as oils.
- Secure all of the parts of the car that can be moved. If you have tops that can be opened or tops that can be converted, make sure to secure them and prevent any possible movement.
- Empty the car’s gas tank. Leave ⅛ to ¼ of the gas tank full. The company driver will drive the car to the transport truck and off it. With this much tank, there will be more than enough for this. If you leave the car gas tank full, it will add to the weight of your car which might increase the transport costs.
- Any outside items such as spoilers or ski/bike racks should be removed from the car. The same goes for the luggage racks! They become an integral part of our car so much that we forget they weren’t always there.
Read the contract before signing it
The only thing left to do after doing these things to prepare your car for shipping overseas is to sign the bill of landing. You will need to be present before the transport to sign it. It’s both the receipt and legal protection at the same time. Before you sign, you should carefully read the contract. It may be a formality, but you shouldn’t have to wonder whether your car has legal protection just because you didn’t read the contract. With trustworthy companies such as removal companies Bahrain, you don’t have to worry about those things – but you should double-check just in case. If you have any doubts about the car shipping process, give us a call. We’re more than happy to let you in on the details of the process!