Chrysler minivan
Ron
Submitted this review about
Autolog
Review made Live: 12/19/2006 1:18:00 AM
I needed to transport my Chrysler minivan from New Jersey to California to Hawaii. The van was new with only 500 miles on the odometer. I wanted to ship the van enclosed to be certain that it arrived in perfect condition, the same as when it left NJ. I called every highly rated transporter on this site. Some offered to ship it in a soft-sided carrier. A few offered to ship it in a container, but the rates were expensive. Auto Transport Connection made the contract with Autolog for me. Autolog can ship in an enclosed, sealed railroad car, which was less expensive than other enclosed transporters. But the time across country is long - 3 weeks. I had time, and the trip time corresponded with the departure date of the ocean vessel from California. In CA the van was transported to a shipping line, Pasha Hawaii, for carriage to Hawaii. I had to arrange the transport with Pasha Hawaii. I was told to allow one hour for check-in of my vehicle at Autolog's Linden terminal. Leo had the process complete in 10 minutes, perhaps because the inspection of my new van was completed swiftly. I called a couple of times for a status report and learned that the van would be delivered on schedule to Pasha Hawaii for ocean transport.. When my van was delivered in Hawaii, only 2 miles were added to the odometer, and except for a dirty exterior (quickly resolved with a hand-wash in my driveway), the van arrived in perfect condition. If you have the time, and if the railroad terminal is not far from your departure and destination cities, I would recommend Autolog's enclosed railcar service because the company served me with efficient ease and my van was secure during transport.
Now a word about insurance. The transporter's insurance is very limited, no matter how the company or broker may present it to you. Additionally, your own company may not cover the vehicle during transport, especially if you are moving permanently. Since my van was new, I wanted full coverage including liability, collision and comprehensive with fire, theft and vandalism coverage. Such coverage is not included in the transporter's insurance, and is apparently not available from the transporter. Call companies and brokers in your destination state to learn if coverage is provided during transport under your new policy. I did, and found no local agent in Hawaii willing to provide coverage until the vehicle reaches Hawaii. I called the national companies, and found only 2 who would begin coverage from the day my van was given to the New Jersey transporter. Because of the ocean voyage, my experience with the move to Hawaii may be different than that within the 48 contiguous states. But if you want coverage, allow yourself time to search for an insurance company. Luckily, there were no problems with my van during transport. But read some of the reviews and see where a few encountered damage and insurance claims problems.
