Do a 15-minute sweep before your Magnolia Motors Gift free pickup. Remove the garage-door remote, spare house keys, toll transponder, parking permits, disability placards, insurance card, registration, glovebox papers, chargers, sunglasses, cash, and anything in the cabin or trunk. Also factory-reset the infotainment system: delete Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink buttons, saved addresses, garage codes, call logs, and contacts. Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Start With Security Items
Begin with anything that can open a home, building, gate, or storage area. Take the garage-door remote off the visor or console. Remove spare house keys, mailbox keys, gate cards, apartment fobs, workplace badges, and valet keys that are not needed for the vehicle. Check the key ring too. Keep only the vehicle keys that should go with the donated car.
Pull Billing Items Next
Remove toll transponders, parking garage tags, fuel cards, fleet cards, and pay-by-plate stickers that could keep charging after the car leaves. Then log in to the toll account and remove the donated vehicle from the account. If the account lists the plate or VIN, update that record too. Do this even if the transponder is already out of the car.
Clear Glovebox Documents
Open the glovebox, console file slot, door pockets, and owner’s manual sleeve. Pull your insurance card, registration, repair receipts, claim papers, inspection papers, loan papers, and anything with your address, policy number, or account number. Remove parking permits and disability placards. Keep donation-related paperwork for your records. Do not remove the signed-over title if it is supposed to stay with the car.
Sweep Cabin and Trunk
Work front to back. Check under the seats, between seat cushions, seat-back pockets, visors, cup holders, door pockets, the center console, and the floor mats. Then check the trunk, cargo pockets, jack compartment, spare-tire well, cargo net, and any hidden storage. Look for wallets, cash, phones, chargers, tools, medicine, sunglasses, school items, and personal bags.
Wipe Electronics Data
Factory-reset the infotainment system if the car has one. Delete Bluetooth pairings, saved contacts, call logs, text-message access, navigation history, saved home address, saved work address, garage codes, and HomeLink buttons. Remove USB drives, SD cards, CDs, and phone cables. If the system has a separate profile menu, delete each driver profile before you finish.
Remove Optional Add-Ons
Take items you added and still want, as long as removal does not damage the car or change what you described. Common removals include dash cams, phone mounts, upgraded stereos, removable speakers, cargo organizers, roof-rack accessories, and child seats. Leave installed safety equipment, factory parts, and anything needed to keep the vehicle intact, towable, and as-described.
Leave Keys and Title
After the sweep, put the vehicle keys and the signed-over title with the car as instructed. Do not pack them in a purse, folder, or moving box by mistake. If there is a second working key, leave it too unless you were told otherwise. The tow driver needs the keys, and the title must travel with the donated vehicle at handoff.
Items Covered In Separate Guides
This checklist is only for removing personal, valuable, billable, and digital items before free towing. It does not replace title instructions. If your title situation is unusual, such as a lien, deceased owner, out-of-state title, name mismatch, or missing title, confirm the current requirement with the Mississippi DMV before the tow truck takes the vehicle. For plates, see License Plate Guide. For notices after donation, see Release of Liability Guide. Keep any receipt, confirmation, or donation paperwork you receive in your own records after the handoff.
Common questions
What should I do with my toll transponder?
Remove the transponder from the windshield or holder, then remove the donated vehicle from the toll account. Check whether the account lists the vehicle by plate, VIN, nickname, or transponder number. Removing the device is not always enough if the account still bills by vehicle record.
Should insurance and registration stay in the car?
No. Take your insurance card, registration, and any glovebox papers that include personal, policy, claim, loan, or account information. Keep your own records separately. The items that should stay with the donated vehicle are the keys and the signed-over title, unless you receive different written instructions.
Can I leave personal items for the tow driver to discard?
Do not use the car as a disposal box. Remove trash, clothing, bags, tools, and personal property before the handoff. A clean sweep helps prevent lost items and privacy problems. If you find something after the vehicle has left, recovery may not be possible.
Can I remove a dash cam, stereo, or child seat?
Yes, if it is your aftermarket item and removal does not damage the vehicle or change the donation description. Remove child seats, dash cams, phone mounts, removable electronics, and personal accessories. Leave factory parts and required vehicle components in place so the car remains intact.
More donation prep guides
Once the sweep is done, you should have only the needed handoff items left in the vehicle: the keys and the signed-over title. Magnolia Motors Gift helps turn donated vehicles into support for Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). If you are unsure whether an item should stay or go, choose privacy first and ask before the tow truck takes the car.