🧼 Step 8: Pre-Shipment Cleaning & Vehicle Preparation Guide

To comply with New Zealand’s strict biosecurity standards, your vehicle must be thoroughly cleaned inside and out before shipping. This reduces the risk of delays, re-cleaning fees, or rejection at the border.

🇳🇿 Around 80% of vehicles fail their initial quarantine inspection due to hidden contamination — so it’s essential to prepare your vehicle properly.

🚨 Common Reasons Vehicles Fail Inspection

• Grass, leaves, or seeds caught under the vehicle
• Dirt or mud in the wheel arches, underbody, or engine bay
• Dust and debris in air vents or cabin areas
• Contaminants in the boot, carpets, or floor mats

✅ How to Prepare Your Vehicle

We recommend doing a thorough clean before shipping. Focus especially on areas where plant or animal material might be hiding.

Checklist:

• Vacuum the interior thoroughly, including under seats and in crevices
• Power wash the undercarriage, wheel arches, and tyres
• Wipe down and clean the engine bay
• Remove, clean, and dry floor mats and the boot area
• Clean around the windscreen wipers and any vents

💡 Think like a biosecurity officer: if it’s biological, it must go.

If your vehicle still fails inspection in NZ, it will need to be professionally cleaned and reinspected — which usually starts from NZD $700 and can delay delivery.

🚫 Important Notes on Shipping via RoRo

If you're shipping via Roll-on Roll-off (RoRo):

• The vehicle must be completely empty — no personal or household items
• Any belongings left inside are shipped entirely at your own risk and are not covered by transit insurance

🛑 Vehicles may be rejected by port staff if items inside create a safety risk or block access to the battery (which must be disconnected during transit).

Additional handling charges may also be applied by stevedores if goods are left inside, and these costs are outside of our control.

➡️ Next Step → Step 9: How to Book

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