{"id":2949,"date":"2026-08-04T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/2026\/08\/04\/prepare-car-for-long-distance-tow\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T13:30:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T13:30:44","slug":"prepare-car-for-long-distance-tow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/2026\/08\/04\/prepare-car-for-long-distance-tow\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00f3mo Preparar Su Auto para un Remolque de Larga Distancia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A long-distance tow across the state or across the country is routine work, and it goes smoothly far more often when the owner has spent a little time getting the car ready. These are the steps that matter.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\">\n<p class=\"amani-toc-title\">In this guide<\/p>\n<nav>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#empty-the-car\">1. Empty the car<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#document-the-condition\">2. Document the condition<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#leave-a-quarter-tank-of-fuel\">3. Leave a quarter tank of fuel<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#check-for-leaks\">4. Check for leaks<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#deal-with-alarms-and-low-clearance\">5. Deal with alarms and low clearance<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sort-the-keys-and-access\">6. Sort the keys and access<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#check-tires-and-the-parking-brake\">7. Check tires and the parking brake<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#be-reachable-at-both-ends\">8. Be reachable at both ends<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sort-the-paperwork-for-a-move\">9. Sort the paperwork for a move<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#long-distance-tow-checklist\">Long-distance tow checklist<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#long-distance-tow-faq\">Long-distance tow FAQ<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"empty-the-car\">1. Empty the car<\/h2>\n<p>Take out everything that is not bolted down. Loose items slide around in transit, and personal property inside a vehicle is not covered the way the vehicle itself is. That includes the trunk, the glove box and the door pockets.<\/p>\n<p>Remove toll transponders too, unless you want to pay tolls for a trip you did not drive.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"document-the-condition\">2. Document the condition<\/h2>\n<p>Photograph the car from every corner, plus the roof and the wheels, in good light and with the car clean enough to see the paint. Get close-ups of any existing chips, scratches or dents.<\/p>\n<p>Haga esto <em>antes<\/em> the truck arrives, and keep the timestamps. If a question ever comes up, this is the evidence that settles it quickly. A good transport driver will do their own walk-around and note existing damage. Compare notes and make sure you agree before signing.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"leave-a-quarter-tank-of-fuel\">3. Leave a quarter tank of fuel<\/h2>\n<p>Enough to load, unload and drive a short distance at the other end. More than that is dead weight, and on a multi-car carrier weight matters.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"check-for-leaks\">4. Check for leaks<\/h2>\n<p>A car that drips oil or coolant onto the vehicle below it on a carrier is a genuine problem. If you know it leaks, say so when you book: it changes where the car is loaded.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"deal-with-alarms-and-low-clearance\">5. Deal with alarms and low clearance<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Disable the alarm<\/strong>, or tell the driver how to. An alarm that triggers repeatedly on the road is a real nuisance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mention low clearance, body kits or lowered suspension.<\/strong> These need different loading angles, sometimes ramps.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fold or remove roof racks and antennas<\/strong> where you can.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Retract or secure loose trim<\/strong> and anything already hanging.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"sort-the-keys-and-access\">6. Sort the keys and access<\/h2>\n<p>The driver needs a key to steer, brake and release the parking brake during loading. Hand over one key, not your only one, and keep a spare yourself.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"check-tires-and-the-parking-brake\">7. Check tires and the parking brake<\/h2>\n<p>Even on a non-running car, tires need enough air to roll onto the deck without damaging the sidewalls, and the parking brake needs to release. A seized brake turns a quick load into a much longer job with skates. Moving a car that does not start? Read our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/2026\/07\/31\/towing-a-non-running-vehicle\/\">towing a non-running vehicle<\/a> first.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"be-reachable-at-both-ends\">8. Be reachable at both ends<\/h2>\n<p>Give a phone number that will be answered, and a second contact at the destination if you will not be there yourself. Most delays on a long-distance tow come down to nobody being available to receive the vehicle.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sort-the-paperwork-for-a-move\">9. Sort the paperwork for a move<\/h2>\n<p>If the car is relocating for good, keep the title and registration with you rather than in the vehicle. Moving a car into Alabama means titling and registering it here; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revenue.alabama.gov\/division\/motor-vehicle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alabama Department of Revenue&#8217;s Motor Vehicle Division<\/a> explains what you will need. Leaving the state works the other way, so check the destination state&#8217;s rules before the car ships.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"long-distance-tow-checklist\">Long-distance tow checklist<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Car emptied, transponders removed.<\/li>\n<li>Condition photos taken and saved.<\/li>\n<li>About a quarter tank of fuel.<\/li>\n<li>Leaks, alarms and low clearance flagged at booking.<\/li>\n<li>One key handed over, spare kept.<\/li>\n<li>Tires inflated, parking brake releasing.<\/li>\n<li>Contacts confirmed at both ends.<\/li>\n<li>Title and registration kept with you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"long-distance-tow-faq\">Long-distance tow FAQ<\/h2>\n<h3>Do I need to be there at pickup and delivery?<\/h3>\n<p>Someone does, to hand over the key and sign the condition report. It can be a friend, family member or colleague, as long as we know who to expect.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I pack a few things in the trunk?<\/h3>\n<p>It is best not to. Personal items are not covered in transit, and extra weight affects how the car is loaded.<\/p>\n<p>We handle dealer, auction and long-distance transport out of Birmingham with condition photos logged at both ends. See our <a href=\"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/birmingham-towing-services\/\">transport services<\/a> o llame al <a href=\"tel:+12052108809\">(205) 210-8809<\/a> to schedule your long-distance tow.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Quince minutos de preparaci\u00f3n antes de que llegue el cami\u00f3n evitan la mayor\u00eda de los problemas de transporte de larga distancia. Esto es lo que debe retirar, documentar y desactivar.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-towing-guides"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2949"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3262,"href":"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2949\/revisions\/3262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amanitowing.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}