Before your Big Sky Rides free pickup, take 15 minutes to remove the garage-door remote, spare house keys, toll transponder, parking permits, disability placards, insurance card, registration, glovebox papers, and all personal items. Check the cabin, trunk, under seats, visors, pockets, consoles, and spare-tire well. Factory-reset the infotainment system so Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink, saved addresses, and contacts are cleared. Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Remove Security Items First
Start with anything that opens your home, garage, gate, storage unit, or workplace lot. Take the garage-door remote, spare house keys, building fobs, gate cards, mailbox keys, and any hidden emergency key. Check the visor, center console, cup holders, door pockets, and key ring. If the car has built-in garage controls, do not stop here. You will clear those during the electronics reset step.
Pull Billable Account Devices
Remove the toll transponder, parking account tag, car-wash pass, fuel card, fleet card, or any other device tied to billing. Then log in to the account and remove this vehicle from the account. Pulling the tag is not always enough. If the account still lists the plate or VIN, future charges may still be linked to you, depending on the account’s rules.
Clear Glovebox Documents
Take out the insurance card, registration, repair receipts, warranty papers, finance letters, old citations, and anything with your name, address, policy number, or account number. Keep documents you may need for your own records. Do not leave a blank title in the glovebox. The title that stays with the car should be properly signed over where required for the transfer.
Sweep Cabin And Trunk
Do a full hand sweep, not just a look. Check under both front seats, between seat cushions, seat-back pockets, floor mats, the center console, door pockets, visors, sunglasses holder, cargo pockets, and trunk. Lift the trunk mat and check the spare-tire well. Remove cash, tools, medication, chargers, sunglasses, work badges, garage receipts, children’s items, and anything you would not want leaving on the tow truck.
Wipe Stored Vehicle Data
Factory-reset the infotainment system if the car has one. Delete Bluetooth pairings, call logs, contacts, saved navigation addresses, garage-door HomeLink settings, Wi-Fi settings, driver profiles, and app logins. If you are not sure how to reset it, use the owner’s manual or the settings menu. At minimum, remove your phone pairing and delete any saved home or work address.
Remove Optional Add-Ons
Take aftermarket items you plan to keep, such as a dash cam, phone mount, upgraded stereo faceplate, portable GPS, seat covers, cargo organizer, roof-rack accessories, or child seats. Keep the car intact and as described when you arranged the donation. Do not remove factory parts, required safety equipment, installed emissions parts, or major components that change the condition of the vehicle.
Leave Transfer Items With Car
Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car. Include the main key, any spare key you are donating with it, and the properly assigned title. Place them where the pickup driver can receive them with the vehicle, not inside a locked car unless you were specifically told to do that. If a title instruction is unclear, check with the Montana DMV before signing.
Two Items To Handle Separately
This page is only the sweep-the-car checklist. For plates, see our License Plates After Donation guide. For post-transfer notice questions, see our Release of Liability After Donation guide. Keep your focus here on items that create security risk, billing risk, identity risk, or personal loss if they leave with the vehicle. If you find something after the car is gone, recovery is not guaranteed, so the best fix is a careful 15-minute pass before pickup.
Common questions
Should I leave my insurance card in the car?
No. Remove the insurance card and any document that shows your policy number, address, lender, account numbers, or personal details. Keep what you need for your records. The transfer item that should remain with the vehicle is the signed-over title, along with the keys.
Do I need to remove my toll transponder if the car is being donated?
Yes. Remove the physical transponder and also remove the vehicle from the toll account. Many accounts can bill by tag, plate, or vehicle listing. Pulling the device helps, but account cleanup is the safer final step before free pickup.
What if I cannot factory-reset the screen?
Do the most you can from the settings menu. Delete phone pairings, contacts, call history, saved navigation addresses, garage-door buttons, and app logins. If the full reset requires a password you do not have, remove your personal data manually before the vehicle leaves.
Can I take my upgraded stereo or dash cam?
You may remove personal aftermarket items you plan to keep, such as a dash cam, portable GPS, or child seat. Keep the vehicle intact and consistent with the condition you described. Do not remove factory components or parts needed for safe handling.
More donation prep guides
A clean sweep protects your home, accounts, documents, and stored data before your donation leaves with Big Sky Rides. Take the remote, toll tag, permits, papers, personal items, and saved electronic data. Leave the keys and signed-over title with the vehicle. Your donation benefits Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). When your sweep is done, you are ready for pickup.