Do a 15-minute sweep before free pickup. Remove the garage-door remote, spare house keys, toll transponder, parking permits, disability placards, insurance card, registration, glovebox papers, personal items, and valuables. Check under seats, seat-back pockets, visors, center console, trunk, and spare-tire well. Factory-reset the infotainment system so Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink, saved contacts, and your saved home address are gone. Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Remove security items first
Start with anything that could open a door, gate, or storage area. Take the garage-door remote off the visor or out of the console. Remove spare house keys, mailbox keys, storage-unit keys, gate cards, apartment fobs, and work badges. Check the key ring too. Leave only the vehicle keys needed to move, load, and transfer the donated car.
Stop recurring billing items
Pull the toll transponder, parking pass, prepaid garage card, fuel card, and any work or campus permit. Then remove the donated vehicle from the toll account or parking account. Taking the plastic device is not always enough. If the plate or vehicle stays active on an account, future charges could still be billed to you.
Take out glovebox documents
Remove your insurance card, registration, roadside-assistance card, maintenance receipts, loan papers, old repair estimates, warranty booklets with your name, and any envelope with personal information. Keep medical cards, disability paperwork, and disability placards with you. If the owner manual has no personal information, you may leave it, but check every pocket first.
Sweep the cabin and trunk
Work front to back. Check door pockets, cup holders, center console, visor clips, seat cracks, under the seats, seat-back pockets, floor mats, cargo nets, trunk bins, and the spare-tire well. Look for cash, sunglasses, garage receipts, medication, phone chargers, tools, sports gear, kids’ items, and personal papers. Do one last look from each open door.
Wipe stored electronic data
Factory-reset the infotainment system if the car has one. Delete Bluetooth pairings, call logs, saved contacts, navigation history, saved home and work addresses, garage codes in HomeLink, Wi-Fi settings, and app-linked profiles. If you cannot find the reset menu, delete each phone and address manually. Unplug USB drives, SD cards, and charging adapters.
Remove add-ons, leave essentials
You may remove portable aftermarket items you own, such as dash cams, phone mounts, upgraded speakers that can be removed cleanly, child seats, cargo boxes, and removable bike racks. Do not strip parts or change the vehicle from the condition you described. Keep the car intact and as-described. Leave the keys and the signed-over title with the car.
Paperwork items not covered here
This page is only the inside-the-car sweep. Do not use it as a title, plate, tax, or ownership transfer checklist. For plates, see our separate guide, Michigan License Plates After Donation. For transfer reporting, see our separate guide, Michigan Release of Liability After Donation. If a paperwork instruction from a prior owner, lender, estate, or family member does not match your situation, ownership rules can vary; check with the Michigan DMV before the car leaves. It is easier to correct papers while the vehicle is still in your driveway.
Common questions
What if I forget something in the car?
Contact Great Lakes Givers as soon as you notice. Describe the item and where it was left. Do not assume it can be recovered once the vehicle has moved through towing, storage, or processing. The safest plan is a slow final sweep before the keys leave your hand.
Should I leave the insurance card or registration?
No. Remove insurance cards, registration copies, and any papers that show your name, address, policy number, claim number, lender, or account information. The signed-over title is the ownership document that should stay with the vehicle. Keep routine glovebox documents with your personal records.
Do I need to clean or detail the vehicle?
No detailing is needed for donation. Focus on removing belongings, documents, billable devices, and stored electronic data. Trash can be removed if it helps you see into compartments, but the main goal is not appearance. The main goal is preventing personal, valuable, or account-linked items from leaving with the car.
Can I remove my dash cam or child seat?
Yes, if the item is yours and removable without damaging or changing the vehicle condition you described. Take dash cams, child seats, phone mounts, removable racks, and personal accessories. Leave factory equipment and installed parts in place unless you clearly reported otherwise before donation.
More donation prep guides
A careful 15-minute sweep protects your home access, billing accounts, documents, belongings, and stored data. Take your time, then leave the vehicle keys and signed-over title where the pickup instructions require. Great Lakes Givers helps turn donated vehicles into support for Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). When your sweep is complete, you are ready for free pickup.