Considerations For Shipping Your Car
If you will be relocating to some distant location you will need to consider how you will transport your car. If you will not be driving your car from point A to Point B, there are many car transportation services that can have your car delivered while you take a more convenient and direct mode of travel for your move.
To ensure that your car arrives in perfect condition and in line with your expectations, you need to know exactly what your options are and what to expect. Here are some of the most important Considerations For Shipping Your Car when looking for a quote from a reputable auto relocation company.
Types of Auto Carriers Available
There will be some important details that you will need to provide a potential car transportation service before they can provide you with a quote, and we will cover those momentarily. One of the Considerations For Shipping Your Cars is the type of vehicle that will be transporting your car and the various advantages and disadvantages associated with each one.
Open Vehicle Transport
This is the typical car carrier you have seen many times in operation on the roads and freeways.
An open double-decker trailer can haul as many as 5 to 9 cars at time.
Advantages:
Cost- Effective – this is a much cheaper method of moving your vehicle to your new location.
Eco-friendly – because of the light weight design and capacity for a larger load of cars, open car carriers will not use as much fuel to make the same trip.
Visibility – while in an open car carrier, the driver can be attentive to the conditions of the vehicles consigned to their care. This is not possible in a closed carrier.
Disadvantages:
Exposure to the elements – from rain and sleet, to tree branches and road debris, your car will be exposed to whatever weather conditions and environmental elements are present on the road.
Road Debris – the most common type of damage is small pebbles, bits of asphalt and other debris common to tarmac.
Closed Vehicle Transport
If your vehicle is an antique, brand new or especially costly, there are some good reasons to consider the fully enclosed vehicle transport system.
Advantages:
Security – while in an enclosed car carrier, your car will not be subject to theft, vandalism or any other intentional damage.
Physical Protection – there is no risk that the conditions of the road and weather will have any adverse effect on the perfect paint jobs and exteriors of your costly automobile.
Disadvantages:
Visibility – there is always the risk that the loading of the car was not carried out to perfection and the driver will not be aware of the problem until the vehicle is unloaded. This is easily avoided by finding a reliable car transportation service.
Not the Most Environmentally Friendly Choice – because it is not designed to carry as many cars, this option can be quite fuel-inefficient.
Cost – much higher than you will find with the average car carrier.
Getting Your Free Quote
Once you have decided on the best delivery system for your car, considering the needs of your vehicle, the next step will be to contact your car shipping company of choice and get your FREE quote.
Most often these are the details they will ask you to provide before crunching the numbers and providing you with a cost for car shipping.
You will need to provide:
– Pick up date
– Location of the pickup and drop off
– The very best car transportation services will be able to pick up your car at the doorstep and deliver them to your personal destination. Not all car services have this service available so it will be good to ask in advance.
– Whether or not the car is in operation
– Preference for open vs. enclosed transportation
Considerations For Shipping Your Car - Using a Reliable Car Shipping Company
- Gather a Few Options:
You will find that most of the car carrier services in your area have a website that you can visit to learn more about their services. The best way to begin your search will be with word of mouth advertising or reliable reviews and sources of references. But, visiting the webpage will give you a good idea of what types of services and deals are available from each company as well as the special offers they have for cars with special needs, such as antiques, cars with wider body mods, etc.
- Cost is not everything:
Don’t assume that the cheapest or most expensive service will be the best option for your needs. A low quote is a great way for these companies to lure in the thriftiest consumers, but do not always deliver the best options. You may find that higher costs are sometimes worth it. But, this doesn’t mean the most expensive will offer good services either. Experience, high levels of customer satisfaction and a great history of services are the most important things to look for.
- Do Some Research:
Research is the most important of Considerations For Shipping Your Car. The best way to ensure that the car carrier service you are considering for your relocation is going to deliver your car in perfect conditions is to check their record of service. After you have found a few companies that will suit your needs, the next move is to enter their names in the search box and begin looking for the reviews from previous customers. Make sure you know what complaints have been made so you know what type of problems to look out for.
- Inspections:
Inspections are also essential to making sure your car has been delivered in good conditions. Before you load your car, make sure you have taken pictures from every angle and dated them as well. You can also share these pictures with the service in question. You can ask that your car transportation service does the same and provides you with a bill of landing showing that your car was delivered in the same conditions in which it was originally collected.