CBS evening news will air a segment on the national news broadcast portion tomorrow regarding the lower price of Mexican gasoline and the many
Americans crossing the border to fill up.ckiefer - 5-27-2008 at 06:37 PM
Crap, the secret is out!!Woooosh - 5-27-2008 at 06:52 PM
You burn your savings waiting 2 hours in line at the border to get back.
It works financially if you have a gas/electic hybrid. Under 30mph the electric engine is running- so you don't burn much gas while waiting in line to
get back.Bajaboy - 5-27-2008 at 06:55 PM
The other story might be how cheaper gas is luring vacationers to Baja. I mean I don't need an excuse but the cheaper gas makes things a bit easier
to rationalize.
ZacFrank - 5-27-2008 at 07:10 PM
It would take a lot more then 2 hours to burn the savings between $2.25/gallon in Baja and $5.09/gallon in San Diego.Woooosh - 5-27-2008 at 07:18 PM
Gs may be $2.25 somewhere in Baja, but certainly not near the border.Frank - 5-27-2008 at 07:21 PM
Im sorry, Diesel is $2.25/gallonChamaco - 5-27-2008 at 08:07 PM
There are those who say the Mexican gasoline is better for your car then California gas with the stuff they put in it for emissions. What do you guys
think?Bruce R Leech - 5-28-2008 at 07:09 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Chamaco
There are those who say the Mexican gasoline is better for your car then California gas with the stuff they put in it for emissions. What do you guys
think?
It kind of makes sence. but who are those that say that?David K - 5-28-2008 at 07:16 AM
It will be in the trip report, but for this thread this may be of interest:
In the border region (Mexicali) Magna was $2.78/ gal. (7.51/ litre... 10.20: dollar) and in San Felipe it was $2.57/ gal. (6.82/litre... 10.00:
dollar), YESTERDAY.Bajajorge - 5-28-2008 at 08:54 AM
Sorry, I don't watch CBS national news anymore cuz Dan Rather has been
telling untruths in the news ever since his days in Nam. I like Katy though, it's not her fault that their ratings suck.
Buying American Gas south of the Border
MrBillM - 5-28-2008 at 09:32 AM
MOST, if not ALL, of the gasoline purchased in the border areas of Mexico was refined in the U.S., although I'm pretty sure it wasn't California
blend.
March 08 Mexico Crude oil exports TO the U.S. were 1,214.000 barrels.
For the same period, Mexico Imports of finished petroleum products FROM the U.S. totalled 3,199,000 barrels.comitan - 5-28-2008 at 10:01 AM
I was "importing" a five gallon gascan of US premium gas every few weeks for my dirt bike. My Mexican mechanic told me I was wasting my time- because
the gas here (Pemex Rosarito) is just as good for my bike. Of course it's a 30plus year old Italian motorcycle- so it's used to running on garbage.
lol
I don't think I'd burn anything I didn't trust in a Ferrari, but I won't have to worry about making that choice in this lifetime
On the more serious side... about 15% of Mexico gasoline is stolen each year. Thieves replace gasoline with anything flamable to bring the volume
back up. If you are uynfortunate to pump that garbage in your tank- all bets are off.Photog - 5-28-2008 at 02:17 PM
Some observations on my experience with Mexican gas:
I burned up a catalytic converter in the Toyota 4 runner over a 3 year period of extensively traveling the length of the peninsula, this having been
attributed to burning a LOT of Mexican gas. At that time roughly 80% of the mileage on my vehicle had been incurred while traveling in Baja and
purchasing Mexican gas.
A friend of mine is the service director of Toyota of San Diego, where I have my vehicle serviced. He told me, as well as my 2 mechanic friends that
work there, that in 4 year period, the age of my truck at that time, they have never seen a catalytic converter go out on a 4 runner the way mine did.
Many of my friends that travel extensively in Baja, and virtually all of my Mexican friends, have had similar experiences with catalytic converters.
Every one of my Mexican friends, without exception, tells me the gas at many stations in Baja is at times of poor quality. In particular, they have
advised me not to buy Magna Sin.
Also, I have read, but can't find the link, that Mexican octane ratings can be deceptive, i.e., Magna Sin is closer to 83 octane, not the stated 87;
all my Mexican friends recommend that I use the premium grade Mexican gas, as does one of my Toyota of San Diego mechanics, who is Mexican and lives
in Tijuana. BTW, he is a factory certified Toyota mechanic as well as a certified SAE mechanic, probably the best mechanic I have ever met.
It has been reported in the media that Mexican gas is sometimes diluted with any number of contaminants, from used motor oil, diesel fuel, water, and
other substances. Also, the condition of underground holding tanks at gas stations can be abysmal, leading to further contamination. It should be said
that the frequency of these types of issues is unknown.
Pemex does not ship their gasoline via an in-house tanker fleet; they sub-contract gas delivery to stations to independent truckers, which leaves
manipulation of the final delivered product wide open to alteration, as well as contamination from the tanker unit itself.
Also, many Mexican gas stations "short pump", for one reason or another, as has been documented and reported by the Mexican Federal government's own
regulatory agency, and as reported many times here on nomads.
All too often the supposed "savings" obtained doing business or purchasing a product or service in Baja are offset by many other negatives. Many of
these so-called "savings" are nothing more than a chimera.rts551 - 5-28-2008 at 02:39 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Woooosh
On the more serious side... about 15% of Mexico gasoline is stolen each year. Thieves replace gasoline with anything flamable to bring the volume
back up. If you are uynfortunate to pump that garbage in your tank- all bets are off.
And for source for this fact?Photog - 5-28-2008 at 03:13 PM
Information regarding oil and gasoline theft from Pemex is all over the net, and is in fact common knowledge, as well as having been acknowledged by
Pemex and other Mexican governement officials. Try doing a search in any search engine...
And these comments below from 2 other articles:
Pemex Combats Fuel Theft.(cooperative effort with Mexican government)
"Some $12 million per year in fuel theft in Mexico robs the government of revenues and constitutes a "national security problem," Pemex Refining head
Juan Bueno Torio said this week. He announced a cooperative effort by the Finance Ministry, Public Security and Justice Ministries to combat the
theft."
Pemex uncovers fuel theft operation on Rosarito pipeline - Mexico.
(From Business News Americas)
(BNamericas.com) - Mexico's state oil company Pemex has detected a fuel theft operation on its premium fuel pipeline in Rosarito, Baja California
state, Pemex said in a statement. Pemex workers detected the fuel theft in a residential area on a pipeline that connects Rosarito to Mexicali, the
statement said.
The workers recovered 50,000 liters of fuel from the area but there were no spills, the statement said.
Pemex evacuated people living nearby the affected area but the incident did not cause any injuries or damage the environment, the statement said.
According to some local press versions, the pipeline exploded, setting fire to a house and resulting in the evacuation of some 2,000 people.
In 2005, Pemex recovered 7bn pesos (US$654mn) worth of stolen fuel. Pemex previously reported that it detected and shut down seven illegal pipeline
connections in the first two weeks of 2006. - (BNamericas.com)comitan - 5-28-2008 at 03:42 PM
For info only, my experience. My 1995Toyota Carolla with 134,00 miles 51,000miles in Baja Mexico still has its original cat. Converter. I have been
using Pemex Sin Magna for all the time I've been in Mexico and have not experienced any problems with their Gas.
And this is not a paid commercial!!
[Edited on 5-28-2008 by comitan]comitan - 5-28-2008 at 04:12 PM
CYPRESS: unwanted & unwarranted go back to the OFF TOPIC1TMW - 5-28-2008 at 04:26 PM
My 93 Toyota Pickup V6 had 150,000 miles on it when I wrecked it in Dec. About 50,000 was in Baja using magna sin, no problems with the cat converter.
My 91 chevy Pickup had 200,000 (50,000-75,000 in Baja on magna sin) when it first failed a smog test and it was a cat converter. Cost $250 to replace
non GM. Funny thing with it was I had to replace the fuel filter every 25,000. Changed the fuel filter on the Toy at 100,000 just for the heck of it.
04 GMC Z71 has 60,000 with about 20,000 in Baja without cat or filter problems. I have had the charcoal cannister replaced twiced for some unknown
reason. I use magna sin in it too.Woooosh - 5-28-2008 at 05:05 PM
So the answer is... undetermined? No one really knows what is in the gasoline at PemEx or what the Octane is, and PeMex ins't going to release that
info on a station-to-station basis. When they admit there are supply and pipeline breaches (the stealin gof fuel in residential areas sounds like
something from Somalia- no?) they admit the potential for contamination anyway.
When I buy in Mexico- I go to the newest PeMex station and hope they didn't install recycled holding tanks.
We did recently get "taken" at a sucker pump at the PeMex in North Rosarito. We put $20 in one car at the pump and watched as the meter ran and was
zeroed out. Our gas gauge didn't move and we complained. The next day we came back to the station and the pumps from the previous days were closed
off "because the underground tank was empty."Udo - 5-28-2008 at 05:39 PM
FYI
Last November we drove the entire length of the peninsula and back, plus another 800 or so miles off-road.
Additionally, we have driven another 5000+ miles in other trips all over Baja.
The vehicle?
A 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser. We averaged a little over 20 mpg using magna sin.bajaguy - 5-28-2008 at 06:09 PM
May 28, 2008, 7:26 PM
"Let's Take A Ride"
Posted by Seth Doane
Seth Doane is a CBS News correspondent based in New York.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(CBS)“It’s a no-win situation right now,” says Sharon Romano, “I don’t see anyone winning except the oil companies.”
Sharon Romano and her husband, Angelo, certainly aren’t winning these days; in fact they’re dangerously close to losing everything they’ve worked to
build. As the owners of “Romano & Son Trucking,” a business that has been in the family for nearly 40 years, they’ve been squeezed by the high
price of fuel.
They have to pay a daily diesel bill that runs in the thousands of dollars in order to keep their 12 trucks on the road hauling asphalt for their
clients. In the Phoenix area, where the Romanos live, diesel prices have jumped nearly 60 percent in just a year. It has wiped out their profits.
Sharon remembers, “It seemed like overnight for me… I woke up one day and thought ‘oh my God, how can we do this?’”
A friend told them that the cost of diesel fuel was about half the price in Mexico. Angelo thought, “Let’s take a ride.”
That ride, though, is roughly 180 miles and almost three hours to the border of Arizona and Mexico. That said, Angelo and Sharon say that purchasing
less expensive fuel in Mexico may be the only way that they can hold on to their business. They worry that if they raise their prices there customers
will go elsewhere. All of this is taking a toll on the family.
“I’m 40 years old and I’m just feeling miserable from the stress. Everything I worked for… could be taken away in months,” Angelo said.
Family comes first for Angelo and Sharon, and they have an incredible spirit. Their determination comes though in everything they do. It’s inspiring
to see their positive attitude … but it’s also heartbreaking knowing they’re so close to the edge.
The Romanos desperately want to save their business and want make sure that what they’re doing is legal. They’re hired brokers, talked with
consultants, and read as much as they can about brining fuel into the United States. They’ve worked to comply with regulations but have been
frustrated with hours of questioning at the border and different concerns every time they do it.
When we were with them, they declared the fuel, paid their taxes and went through the channels as instructed at the border. Angelo says its nerve
wracking, “It actually make(s) me feel like I’m doing something wrong… that’s how bad they’re making us feel to go across the border.”
Through it all, the Romanos display incredible resolve. Angelo declares, “We will survive. We will. I worked this hard and I’m not going to let this
go away.”
crossing the border to buy gas?
daveB - 5-28-2008 at 06:44 PM
Canadians have been doing that for years, when going to the USA, that is. If one is living near the border its almost a way of life. (I don't live
near the border, too bad...)
I have used close to 3,500 gallons of gas bought in Mexico during the past few years, and have found it performs its fuction perfectly. Have yet to
change a cat, but maybe its coming? What I like about Mexican gas is mostly its price, but they pump it for you, too, just like in Oregon. How could
you go wrong?
My 2 pesos worth-
CasaManzana - 5-28-2008 at 06:53 PM
Fulltime Baja resident...eight years....no gas problems (if we are speaking of gasoline)....not even a filter changeTonyC - 5-28-2008 at 07:53 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Woooosh
You burn your savings waiting 2 hours in line at the border to get back.
It works financially if you have a gas/electic hybrid. Under 30mph the electric engine is running- so you don't burn much gas while waiting in line to
get back.
You must have went to a California public school, or you suck at math. Maybe both.Ken Cooke - 5-31-2008 at 11:17 PM
I mentioned this 2 yrs. ago while on the Rubicon Owners listserve. It was called, "UnAmerican" that I would mention the benefits of traveling in Baja
for my 4WD fun and paying less money at the pump. Pemex? Yes, I guess it is UnAmerican.Hahaha
has been
telling untruths in the news ever since his days in Nam. I like Katy though, it's not her fault that their ratings suck.
