BajaNomad

Gasoline Stations in Tecate, CA

Baja Ken - 3-11-2004 at 08:35 PM

I'm having a tough time locating (via the 'net), the name and location of the gas station in Tecate, CA. The guy at TC Worthy (over the phone) told me that prices were $2.19/gal., but that was all he knew... Any info is appreciated...

-Ken

David K - 3-11-2004 at 08:58 PM

Ken, it is an independant self-serve station in front of a quicky mart type place... several pumps, on the left (east) not far from the border. Gas may be cheaper in Mexico, for a change?

Baja Ken - 3-11-2004 at 09:02 PM

David,

Thanks for coming through! I knew once you picked up on this thread it would be answered.

Our club/group is going in 2 weeks now. We'll be driving into Mexico in 2 separate groups - 1 leaving for G.C. at 1 p.m., the other group leaving at 9 p.m. We all need to top off our tanks, and I'm not crazy about the quality of Pemex gasoline. So, we'll top off in Tecate, CA and have a blast.


BTW- Suzanne has some pictures to send you...
-Ken

BajaNomad - 3-12-2004 at 01:23 AM

Is that the Amera-Mex Grocery?:

447 Tecate Rd
Tecate, CA 91980
(619) 478-9343

--
Doug

Pemex quality

thebajarunner - 3-14-2004 at 10:58 PM

Baja Ken,
Guess I have not been going to Baja long enough to have a bad experience with Pemex gas.... only since 1971.
NORRA used to pump it into our race trucks in the pre-1973 race days.... Of course that was a long time before Trophy Trucks, but a little gas additive can with the pump stuff and the truck ran great... well enough to take second in the 1972 Mexican 1000.
Have you had a problem??? Or just "heard about" problems??
Just curious.

Baja Arriba!!

Baja Ken - 3-15-2004 at 08:06 PM

In my Ford Ranger, I experienced knock and ping (badly) on uphill grades. To counter this, I would alternate 1 tank of Pemex with 10 gallons of 91 Octane Shell gasoline that I would carry down to Mexico in my own Jerry cans. I don't want to worry about gasoline quality, and alternating gasoline brands can be a hassle...

-Ken

gas

thebajarunner - 3-15-2004 at 11:03 PM

I hammered ( I mean HAMMERED) my F150 V-8 all over Northern Baja last Spring, never a miss, never a ping. I was not towing, but at times really hauled the mail (like 85 mph down a lot of the road to Gonzaga)
We leave Sat. a.m. for BOLA and will burn Pemex all the way in Mexico,
Will give a gas quality report when we return.

Baja Arriba!!

Anonymous - 3-16-2004 at 01:06 PM

Just did 700 miles on a finicky Honda CR250 race bike. Pemex gas was great, even out of milk jugs at Ojos Negros and Laguna Hanson. Never had a problem.
Ed

Baja Ken - 3-17-2004 at 06:36 PM

Our group will be bringing in between 5-10 gallons each in their Jerry Cans. If we need some Pemex, we'll pump some in. I prefer not to if I can help it, but, it surely beats walking...

-Ken

NO KEN!!!

David K - 3-17-2004 at 08:43 PM

It is now against the law to bring filled jerry cans into Mexico. Being socialized (controlled by the government) means the government created monopoly Pemex is the only gas you can use in Mexico, once your tank is empty. That is enforced, as the government also controls the border!

I think it was one of 4Baja's buddies that was turned back at Tijuana and they spent hours selling all their extra gas at a San Ysidro station (you can't dump the stuff anywhere)... with the attendent's permission (they seen it before).

At Tecate, I got a rare red light and pulled into secondary. The first thing the officer did was make sure my red plastic cans were empty. The next part was even scary... He removed the cap on my BLUE 5 gal. water jug and smelled it, to be sure I wasn't hiding gas in there!

I fill my jerry cans at the Pemex.... There is nothing wrong with Pemex gas anymore Ken... The days of 79 octane 'NOVA' are long gone. I have used 87 octane Pemex Magna Sin in everything I drive in Baja including the Ford Triton V-10... and no pinging. They have higher octane Premium if you have a turbo charger or extremely advanced timing.

It has been long reported here or on Amigos that the gas in Baja has been (still is?) trucked in from America because it is cheaper to buy American gas than truck it from the mainland. So, it just might be Exxon or ARCO coming out of Baja Pemex pumps...

[Edited on 3-18-2004 by David K]

BajaNomad - 3-17-2004 at 11:06 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
...the government created monopoly Pemex is the only gas you can use in Mexico...
That's not what the race cars/bikes/buggies are using...

:P
Quote:
It has been long reported here or on Amigos that the gas in Baja has been (still is?) trucked in from America because it is cheaper to buy American gas than truck it from the mainland. So, it just might be Exxon or ARCO coming out of Baja Pemex pumps...
It's brought in by tanker (the ocean-going kind), or at least it was.... from California and delivered to either the tank farm near Ensenada, or the one down in Pichilingue, near La Paz.

There was no gasoline refinery along the West coast of Mexico -- which could possibly be the same today, I don't know (there is a diesel refinery however).

--
Doug


[Edited on 3-18-2004 by BajaNomad]

David K - 3-18-2004 at 12:38 AM

Yes Doug, I know racers have special permits and that is only for racing in Baja, not what Ken and his rough riders will be doing... What is the best racing gas anyway, SoCal or Trick ? LOL (that was a 'Trick' question)

[Edited on 3-18-2004 by David K]