Do a 15-minute sweep before the tow truck leaves: remove the garage-door remote, spare keys, toll transponder, parking permits, disability placards, insurance card, registration, and all glovebox papers. Check the console, visors, seat-back pockets, under seats, trunk, and spare-tire well for personal items or valuables.
Then factory-reset the infotainment system. Clear Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink buttons, saved addresses, and your saved home address. 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 building or identifies where you live. Remove the garage-door remote, gate remote, spare house keys, mailbox keys, office access cards, storage-unit keys, and any key tags with addresses or account numbers. Check the visor, console tray, glovebox, door pockets, and key ring. If a remote is built into the mirror, handle it in the electronics reset step.
Remove toll billing items
Pull the toll transponder, sticker tag, or removable tag from the windshield or plate area. If you use a North Texas toll account or any other toll account, remove this vehicle from the account too. Do both tasks. Taking the tag out of the car helps, but updating the account helps stop future toll billing tied to that donated vehicle.
Clear papers and permits
Empty the glovebox and document folders. Remove the insurance card, registration copy, repair invoices, inspection papers, parking permits, resident tags, school passes, employer parking decals, and disability placards. Keep anything that includes your name, address, policy number, claim number, or payment information. Do not leave medical paperwork, old citations, bank envelopes, or service records that show personal contact details.
Sweep cabin and trunk
Work front to back. Check under both front seats, between the seats and console, seat-back pockets, cup holders, door pockets, visors, sunglasses holders, floor mats, and the center console. Then check the rear seats, child-seat area, trunk, cargo pockets, tool tray, and spare-tire well. Pull phones, chargers, cash, cards, keys, medication, sunglasses, tools, clothing, and anything sentimental.
Factory-reset the infotainment system
Before you close the doors, wipe stored data. Delete Bluetooth pairings, call history, contacts, navigation favorites, saved home address, garage-door settings, HomeLink buttons, Wi-Fi settings, apps, and connected-driver profiles. Use the factory reset option if the screen offers one. If the battery is dead, remove what you can manually and avoid leaving phones, cables, or account cards in the vehicle.
Remove optional aftermarket items
You may remove add-ons you personally installed, such as a dash cam, portable GPS, upgraded speakers, removable stereo faceplate, phone mount, seat covers, cargo organizer, or child seats. Keep the car intact and as-described. Do not cut wiring, remove required safety parts, take factory equipment, or change the vehicle condition from what you reported when arranging the donation.
Leave keys and title
Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car. Put them where the tow operator can receive them with the vehicle, based on the pickup instructions you already have. Include all vehicle keys you plan to transfer, including fobs. Do not leave personal key rings, house keys, storage keys, or unrelated documents attached to the vehicle keys.
Handle these items separately
Some items are not part of the 15-minute sweep, even though they often get mixed into the same question. For plates, see our separate guide, License Plates After Donation. For release-of-liability steps, see our separate guide, Release of Liability After Donation. If any title, plate, or transfer instruction conflicts with what you have been told, confirm the current rule with the Texas DMV before pickup day. Keep a photo of the signed title and any receipt you receive for your records.
Do not strip the vehicle
The goal is to remove your property, not to dismantle the car. A donor in Austin should do the same practical sweep as any other donor: personal, valuable, billable, and data-storing items come out; the vehicle stays complete. Leave factory equipment in place unless you were specifically told otherwise. If you remove an aftermarket part, make sure the car can still be towed, identified, and matched to the donation record.
Common questions
Should I leave my insurance card in the glovebox?
No. Remove your insurance card and any insurance documents before donation pickup. They usually include your name, policy number, address, and insurer details. Keep them for your records or shred outdated copies. The car should not leave with paperwork that can identify you or connect you to an active policy.
What if I forget a toll tag in the car?
Contact your toll provider as soon as you notice. Ask them to remove the donated vehicle and transponder from your account. If the tag is still active, charges may continue to post to your account. Pulling the device is step one; removing the vehicle from the account is the important follow-through.
Do I need to reset the screen if the car is old?
If the car has Bluetooth, navigation, garage-door buttons, a paired phone list, or saved addresses, reset it or delete the entries manually. Older systems can still store contacts, call history, and home addresses. If there is no screen or storage system, just remove cables, devices, and paperwork.
More donation prep guides
A clean sweep protects your privacy and helps the donation handoff go smoothly. Take 15 minutes, remove security items, billing items, papers, personal belongings, and saved electronic data. Then leave the vehicle keys and signed-over title with the car. Rev Up Giving supports Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446) through vehicle donations. When you are ready, keep this checklist open and do the sweep.