Moving a non-running vehicle from your home to a repair shop

Updated October 21, 2026

Call the repair shop before booking the tow. Confirm that it can accept your non-running vehicle, when it can arrive and where it should be left. Then describe the pickup location and vehicle condition so we can assess the tow.

Get the destination settled first and the rest is straightforward.

What to ask the shop

Ask these four questions:

1. “Can you take a vehicle that does not run, and when?” Shops fill up. A busy independent may be a week out, and a vehicle that cannot be moved under its own power takes up space the whole time. Some will tell you to wait until they have a bay.
2. “Where do you want it left?” Front lot, side lot, round the back by the service door. Shops have strong preferences and a driver who guesses wrong creates a problem for everyone.
3. “What do I do with the key?” Most have a drop box. Ask where it is and whether they want anything written on the envelope.
4. “Can it arrive outside your opening hours?” Some are happy with an after-hours drop; some will not accept a vehicle they cannot check in.

Write the answers down. You will be repeating them to us.

Getting it out of where it is sitting

A vehicle that has been parked for a while has usually settled into somewhere awkward. Walk out and look at it properly.

In a driveway. The simplest case. Make sure other vehicles are moved — a flatbed needs room to back in and space behind it to tilt the deck to the ground.

In a garage. Tell us about the opening, overhead clearance and available space. The operator needs to assess whether the vehicle can be reached and loaded safely.

On grass or dirt. Describe the surface and recent rain. Ground that looks dry may not support a loaded truck, so access needs assessment.

On the street. Usually easiest of all, as long as the vehicles in front and behind leave working room.

Behind other vehicles, or in a back yard. Needs describing in detail on the phone. Access may change whether we can take the job, and access is one of the things that moves a quote.

Does it roll, steer and come out of park?

Tell us what you already know about the wheels, steering and transmission. Do not move or release the vehicle just to test it; say if you are unsure.

• Rolling. Flat tires from sitting, or brakes seized from months of not moving, both mean the wheels will not simply turn.
• Steering. Report any known steering fault or locked column. Release procedures vary by vehicle.
• Out of park. An automatic with a dead battery frequently will not leave park, because the shift interlock needs power.

These conditions may require a different loading approach or equipment. Confirm the plan before dispatch.

The key

Have the key available if you have one. Access and loading requirements vary, and the repair shop will normally need it too.

Decide whether the key travels with the vehicle or you drop it off yourself, take your house keys off the ring, and if there is genuinely no key at all, say so when you book.

What we need from you

• Year, make and model — and whether it is AWD, 4WD, electric or hybrid (this matters)
• The pickup address and exactly where on the property it sits
• The shop’s name and address, and where they want it left
• Whether it rolls, steers and shifts
• Whether you will be there
• Anything tight about the access — gates, codes, low branches, soft ground

Preparing a vehicle for a scheduled tow covers the rest, particularly clearing your belongings out — a car sitting at a shop for two weeks is an inconvenient place to have left your garage remote.

If nobody will be home

Entirely normal. Arrange it in advance rather than assuming: tell us nobody will be on site, agree where the key will be, give us a number you will actually answer, and make sure the shop is expecting the vehicle.

When the shop says it is not worth fixing

It happens, often after a diagnosis you have already paid for. At that point you have a vehicle sitting at a shop that does not want it there indefinitely, and a repair bill that exceeds what the car is worth.

Selling it is a legitimate answer. We consider running and non-running vehicles. Confirm eligibility, ownership documents, the offer and pickup terms before agreeing to a sale. Our junk car page explains how the offer is worked out, and it is worth a call before you agree to a repair you are not sure about.

If it is still at your house rather than the shop, that is an even simpler version of the same conversation.

The order that works

1. Ring the shop. Get the four answers.
2. Note known vehicle problems and access restrictions without trying to move it.
3. Clear your belongings out.
4. Ring us with both addresses and the details. Get a quote.
5. Sort the key and the access.
6. Confirm the shop is expecting it.