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 Inspecting a Donation Car For Safety and Functionality

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Whether you're a prospective donor or a charity that has just been given an offer you can't refuse, you'll want to go out of your way to inspect a donation car for safety as well as functionality. Ideally, as a donor, you have a pretty good idea about the true condition of your car and what it needs to be safe for travel.

Sometimes this can involve a bit of work, but if you know exactly what needs to be performed, it might make the task seem a bit less daunting. Since you've probably taken the car in for evaluation before deciding to switch to a different one, you have a pretty good chance of knowing what's going on with your donation car before you even dial up your favorite charity.

Of course, if it's been sitting out for awhile, you'll want to make sure it at least does as much as it did before you set it aside. In many climates, fuel left in the gas tank for more than a few months, without some sort of treatment beforehand, can result in a gumming up of the engine (the fuel vapors actually turn to varnish on the formerly moving parts) that takes a great deal of time and labor to overcome.

This sort of malfunction that requires a great deal of time and effort to correct, rather than a bunch of money, is a good candidate for a charity program that teaches people about auto service as part of the charitable mission. If the donation car also happens to be in good shape otherwise, the odds of such an automobile being repaired and given away are pretty good, especially if you're working with a local non-profit directly.

Of course, if you live in a state where you must pass emissions testing to purchase your registration tags (or new plates), you want to check to see if donation is a car that's even legal to drive without further work. It is unfortunate that so many of the cars given to charity are gas guzzlers when the price of gas goes up. Regardless, you can at least make sure they're not spewing fumes.

You should check to make sure all the lights work, the battery can take a charge, and there's at least some rubber on the tires. Generally you want to make sure if there's anything wrong with your donation that could cause someone who has enough problems to be very seriously inconvenienced with your donation. A car mechanic that works for a charity or a class of students will be going over a list of their own, but it's good to let the charity know just what they're getting into when you call so they can make a decision.

Of course, it's good to know that the breaks are intact and that the accelerator doesn't stick. Again, this has a major impact on how the charity (or third-party agent) will ultimately use your donation. Cars that have very little value or are dangerous in some way, are very often sent to the wholesale market as parts cars. Again, it's important you not keep information that could endanger anyone's life to yourself.

As for the real-world functionality of your donation, a car must also have a free and clear title to be transferable. In some states you can request a duplicate title be sent to you in the mail, though it sometimes takes several weeks to get the process rolling along with a call for a tow truck.

When you call to begin the process of donation, a car and truck specialist will get a good idea for what needs to happen to your car. If it's decided based upon the condition and usefulness of the car that it should be saved, a charity that will return it to good working order. Otherwise, you can expect to to become parts. Rarely are cars simply crushed for their metal, though this is sometimes done in severe cases.