> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Send a car to an outside vendor

> Record when a vehicle leaves your facility for transport, detail, mechanical work, or other off-site services—and bring it back when it returns.

## What you will accomplish

You will mark a vehicle as **at an outside vendor** so your team knows the car is not in your building—even though you still track it in Car Storage Software.

When you finish:

* The car record shows **Vendor:** and the company name (for example **Elite Transport Co.**).
* The vehicle no longer counts as parked in **A1**, **Outdoor Lot**, or another facility spot.
* The [parking report](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/parking-spots/report) can show a **Vendor** row for billing or history reviews.

## When to use this guide

Use this when a vehicle **physically leaves your property** for work done elsewhere.

Good examples:

* Enclosed transport to another city or storage facility.
* Detail or paint work at a partner shop down the road.
* Mechanical repair at a dealership or specialty garage.
* Any off-site location where the car is not in your numbered spot or zone.

> [!NOTE]
>
> **Vendor location is not the same as a zone**
>
> **Zone** means the car is still on your property in a flexible area (for example **Outdoor Lot**). **Vendor** means the car left your facility. Pick the option that matches where the vehicle actually is.

## Before you start

* The car already exists in [Cars](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/cars).
* The outside company exists as a **vendor** in [Contacts > Vendors](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts/vendors). If not, add one first—see [Manage vendors](/docs/payments/manage-vendors.md).
* You know the car is leaving (or has already left) your building.
* Your team understands this is a **location** update—not the same as paying a vendor invoice.

> [!TIP]
>
> **Location vs vendor invoice**
>
> Sending a car to a vendor updates **where the vehicle is**. Paying a vendor bill happens in [Payments > Invoices](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/payments/invoices) under the **Vendor** tab. You can do one without the other, but many shops update location when transport picks up the car.

## Step 1: Open the car record

**1. Go to Cars**

Open [Cars](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/cars) from the left sidebar.

**Expected result:** You see your facility's vehicle list with make, model, year, and customer columns.

**2. Open the correct vehicle**

Search by customer name, plate, VIN, or make and model. Click the row to open the car detail page.

**Why this matters:** Sending the wrong vehicle to a vendor is hard to fix during a busy morning. Read the year, make, model, and plate before you continue.

**3. Find the parking location button**

Near the top of the page, look for **Spot:**, **Zone:**, **Vendor:**, or **Assign location**.

**Expected result:** You see where the app thinks the car is right now—inside your facility or already at a vendor.

![Car detail page showing Spot A1 on the parking location button near the top of the page](https://mintcdn.com/carstoragesoftware/Qb2HfPrid60OUNfQ/images/parking-spots/car-record-parking-location.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=Qb2HfPrid60OUNfQ\&q=85\&s=ef4434bb3b97ff3e79c2cc091cd01f83)

*Before the car leaves, the parking button usually shows **Spot:** or **Zone:** with the current facility location.*

## Step 2: Choose the vendor in the location picker

**1. Click the parking location button**

Click **Spot:**, **Zone:**, **Assign location**, or the current location label.

**Expected result:** A window opens with a search field labeled **Select zone, spot, or vendor…** (or similar wording).

**2. Search under Vendors**

Click the search field and type part of the vendor name (for example **Transport** or **Elite**).

**Expected result:** A **Vendors** section appears in the list with matching companies.

**3. Select the correct vendor**

Click the vendor row. Read the company name one more time before you save.

**Why this matters:** Multiple transport or detail partners may look similar in search results.

**4. Click Send to vendor**

The save button may read **Send to vendor** when you picked a vendor (instead of **Update location** for spots and zones).

**Expected result:** A short success message appears. The car record now shows **Vendor:** and the vendor name near the top of the page.

![Move location dialog on a car record showing a search field with Vendors section listing Elite Transport Co.](https://mintcdn.com/carstoragesoftware/Qb2HfPrid60OUNfQ/images/parking-spots/parking-vendor-picker-with-vendor.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=Qb2HfPrid60OUNfQ\&q=85\&s=16d5c87b600d4a193d28566f4db9bff6)

*Type in the location picker to find **Vendors**. Pick the company that has the vehicle, then click **Send to vendor**.*

![Car detail page for a Lamborghini showing Vendor Elite Transport Co. on the parking location button](https://mintcdn.com/carstoragesoftware/Qb2HfPrid60OUNfQ/images/parking-spots/car-record-at-vendor-fresh.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=Qb2HfPrid60OUNfQ\&q=85\&s=9201149d9f1e993c4a7706b614a0b6c3)

*After you save, the car record shows **Vendor:** and the company name—not **Spot:** or **Zone:**.*

## Step 3: Confirm the facility map looks right

**1. Open Parking Spots**

Go to [Parking Spots](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/parking-spots).

**2. Check the old spot or zone**

If the car was in **A1** or **Outdoor Lot**, that space should now look **Available** or **Open**—not still occupied by this vehicle.

**Why this matters:** Staff should not walk to a spot looking for a car that left on a transport truck.

**3. Use search if needed**

Search for the customer or vehicle on the Parking Spots page. The car should not appear as **Present** in a facility spot.

**Expected result:** The map matches the real building—the car is gone from your floor plan.

## Bring the car back to your facility

When the vehicle returns, update the location again—do not leave it on the vendor forever. A car that still shows **Vendor:** on its record looks off-site even when it is sitting in your building.

**1. Open the car record**

Go to [Cars](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/cars) and open the vehicle. You should still see **Vendor:** and the company name near the top of the page.

**Why this matters:** Staff searching the map for an empty spot will not find a car that is still marked at a transport company.

**2. Open the location picker**

Click the **Vendor:** button. The window may remind you the car is currently at that vendor.

**3. Pick a spot or zone inside your facility**

Search under **Spots** or **Zones** and choose where the car is parked **right now** (for example **B3** or **Indoor Bay**). Do not pick another vendor unless the car left again.

**Expected result:** The list shows numbered spots and zones from your floor plan—not the vendor section.

**4. Click Update location**

Save the change. The vendor label should disappear and **Spot:** or **Zone:** should appear instead.

**Expected result:** [Parking Spots](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/parking-spots) shows the car as **Present** in your facility. The [parking report](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/parking-spots/report) records the end of the vendor stay and the start of the new facility assignment.

**5. Spot-check the map**

Open [Parking Spots](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/parking-spots) and search for the vehicle. It should appear in the spot or zone you chose—not still listed as off-site.

**Expected result:** Front desk staff can answer “where is this car?” without calling the transport company.

For step-by-step help assigning a numbered spot or zone, read [Assign a parking spot](/docs/parking-spots/assign-a-parking-spot.md).

## See vendor history on the parking report

Managers and billing staff can confirm how long a car was off-site.

**1. Open the parking report**

Go to [Parking Spots Report](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/parking-spots/report) or click **Actions**, then **Report**, on [Parking Spots](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/parking-spots).

**2. Set the date range**

Choose the weeks or months you want to review.

**3. Look for Type = Vendor**

In **Table** view, read the **Type** column. **Vendor** rows mean the car was at an outside company during that period. **Location** shows the vendor name.

**Expected result:** You can explain off-site time without guessing from memory.

![Parking Occupancy Report table showing a row with Type Vendor and location Elite Transport Co.](https://mintcdn.com/carstoragesoftware/Qb2HfPrid60OUNfQ/images/parking-spots/parking-report-vendor-row-fresh.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=Qb2HfPrid60OUNfQ\&q=85\&s=33e615948f5069bafe172376654fb6fb)

*Vendor rows on the report show when a vehicle was off-site. Use them for billing reviews and customer questions.*

For full report help, read [Review the parking report](/docs/parking-spots/review-the-parking-report.md).

## You can also send a car to a vendor from the map

If you are already on [Parking Spots](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/parking-spots), you do not need to open the car record first.

**1. Click the spot that holds the car**

On the map, click the spot where the vehicle is parked now (for example **A1**).

**Expected result:** A dialog opens showing the car currently in that spot.

**2. Start Move Vehicle**

Click **Move Vehicle** or use the destination search field at the top of the dialog.

**Why this matters:** This is the fastest path when a transport truck is waiting and you are already looking at the map.

**3. Pick a vendor under Vendors**

Type the vendor name in the search field. Click the company under the **Vendors** section—same as on the car record.

**4. Confirm the move**

Click **Send to vendor** (or **Update location**). The spot should look **Available** on the map. The car record should show **Vendor:** and the company name.

![Move Vehicle dialog on the Parking Spots map showing a search field with Vendors section listing a transport company](https://mintcdn.com/carstoragesoftware/Qb2HfPrid60OUNfQ/images/parking-spots/move-vehicle-vendor-picker.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=Qb2HfPrid60OUNfQ\&q=85\&s=a6f054519636d310b11ebd4ad9e5af64)

*From the map, click the occupied spot → **Move Vehicle** → search under **Vendors** → **Send to vendor**.*

## Common mistakes to avoid

* Do not leave **Vendor:** on the record after the car returns—assign a spot or zone the same day when possible.
* Do not pick a **zone** when the car left the property entirely—use **Vendor** instead.
* Do not skip creating the vendor first—add transport and detail partners in [Contacts > Vendors](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts/vendors) so names stay consistent.
* Do not confuse this with scheduling transport on [Schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/schedule)—update location when the car actually leaves.

## Troubleshooting

> [!WARNING]
>
> **I do not see any vendors in the search list**
>
> Add the company in [Contacts > Vendors](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts/vendors) first. You only need a name and contact person to start. Read [Manage vendors](/docs/payments/manage-vendors.md).

> [!TIP]
>
> **The button still says Update location instead of Send to vendor**
>
> You may have selected a spot or zone by mistake. Clear the search field and pick a row under **Vendors**, not **Spots** or **Zones**.

> [!WARNING]
>
> **The map still shows the car in a spot**
>
> Refresh [Parking Spots](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/parking-spots). If the old spot still looks occupied, open the car record and confirm **Vendor:** appears. Try the move again from the car page if needed.

## What to do next

* When the car returns, follow [Assign a parking spot](/docs/parking-spots/assign-a-parking-spot.md).
* To review off-site history, open [Review the parking report](/docs/parking-spots/review-the-parking-report.md).
* To add or edit vendor companies, read [Manage vendors](/docs/payments/manage-vendors.md).
* Return to the [Parking Spots overview](/docs/parking-spots/overview.md).


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