> ## 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.
**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).
* 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.
**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
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.
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.
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.
*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
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).
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.
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.
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.
*Type in the location picker to find **Vendors**. Pick the company that has the vehicle, then click **Send to vendor**.*
*After you save, the car record shows **Vendor:** and the company name—not **Spot:** or **Zone:**.*
## Step 3: Confirm the facility map looks right
Go to [Parking Spots](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/parking-spots).
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.
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.
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.
Click the **Vendor:** button. The window may remind you the car is currently at that vendor.
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.
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.
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).
## See vendor history on the parking report
Managers and billing staff can confirm how long a car was off-site.
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).
Choose the weeks or months you want to review.
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.
*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).
## 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.
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.
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.
Type the vendor name in the search field. Click the company under the **Vendors** section—same as on the car record.
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.
*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
**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).
**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**.
**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).
* To review off-site history, open [Review the parking report](/docs/parking-spots/review-the-parking-report).
* To add or edit vendor companies, read [Manage vendors](/docs/payments/manage-vendors).
* Return to the [Parking Spots overview](/docs/parking-spots/overview).
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