BajaNomad

Spare Tires

mooose29 - 6-25-2010 at 01:50 PM

Here is one I haven't had before crossing south. This morning my Dad was taking the Suburban with an empty trailer down to pick up our wounded dune buggy and he was turned around because he had 3 spare tires on the trailer. The very "nice" young lady on the Mexican side said you are only allowed 1 spare per car or trailer. she accused him of bringing down the tires to sell, and actually told him he could be arrested if he did not cross back over, she was not nice about it at all. He of course turned around and brought the tires back just a pain in the butt delay of an hour and a half and he was headed south again.

This is in no way a bash on the rules, rules are rules and we have been traveling to Mexico for 30 years so we get how it can be at the crossing, you just never know what your going to get. I just think it is funny that when I go down with the race team to do the 500 or 1000 we will cross sometimes with a dozen or more tires in the back of the truck and no one has ever looked twice.

Has anyone ever heard of this spare tire rule.

toneart - 6-25-2010 at 01:57 PM

They are learning and then emulating our endearing border agents. Such nice people!:no:

DENNIS - 6-25-2010 at 02:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mooose29
Has anyone ever heard of this spare tire rule.


There probably is a rule for mounted tires, but her interpretation was kind of harsh.
Unmounted tires, no way. It's been that way forever.

Bob and Susan - 6-25-2010 at 02:15 PM

my trailer has 2 spares mounted on the frame
and actually look like spare tires

never a question at the border

now 3...you're going into the "grey area"

edm1 - 6-25-2010 at 03:53 PM

My 4x4 motorhome sports two unmounted tire casings in plain sight at the back (hitch-mounted dual carrier). Always gets pulled to secondary but no mention about spare tires.

Marc - 6-26-2010 at 06:54 AM

I have always carried two spares and sometimes three. And a good thing too because on the old BOLA road I once had three flats. Really!

Last year crossing at Sonorita (Lukeville Az.) the young lady wanted to turn me back for having extra gas. I explained that the one extra I always carried, and the other EMPTY five containers were going to be filled with Mexican gas. She let me pass.

mtgoat666 - 6-26-2010 at 07:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by mooose29
Here is one I haven't had before crossing south. This morning my Dad was taking the Suburban with an empty trailer down to pick up our wounded dune buggy and he was turned around because he had 3 spare tires on the trailer.

Has anyone ever heard of this spare tire rule.


were your tires mounted on wheels? makes sense to turn you back if unmounted tires

mexico is pretty aggressive about goods crossing border.

p.s. gringo tourists don't have as hard a time as mexican citizens.

fishabductor - 6-26-2010 at 08:19 AM

The last 2 trips I have been to secondary each time, for full inspection of everything.. In the previous countless trips I never got stopped.

good thing too, in the earlier days I smuggled all my possessions down

[Edited on 6-26-2010 by fishabductor]

Bajatripper - 6-26-2010 at 02:18 PM

If I were a betting man, I'd bet that some of this recent "rule enforcement" at the border entering Mexico (I read of someone else being sent back recently over a similar thing that had always been overlooked before) could be a result of how the border is being fortified on the U.S. side. All of the terrorist-related security measures that have been implemented in the recent past probably have many of our Mexican friends wondering where all of the mistrust has come from. I wouldn't find it surprising if Mexicans, many of whom are every bit as proud of their own country as the most patriotic American is of the U.S., should come up with their own set of "rules" to inconvenience our entry into their country. It wouldn't be the first time that Mexican officials have used such tactics to get our attention.
I had time to ponder this idea a couple of weeks ago, as I sat in traffic stopped on I-5 a considerable distance from the gates to Mexico, waiting my turn to cross.

woody with a view - 6-26-2010 at 02:23 PM

you sat with every tomas, verga, and harry because you crossed at a bad time. think about 1/2 million mexicans trying to get home from work, school, cartel hits, etc....

it's like b-tching about trying to cross north at 6:30am so you can be at work by 7am

DENNIS - 6-26-2010 at 03:23 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajatripper
All of the terrorist-related security measures that have been implemented in the recent past probably have many of our Mexican friends wondering where all of the mistrust has come from.


Let 'em wonder. It's not like they're being singled out at the gates. We get it too.
Quote:
Mexicans, many of whom are every bit as proud of their own country as the most patriotic American is of the U.S.


Moreso, by far. They may hate their government, but their country is in their blood.
We, on the other hand, have a mixture of patriotism, apathy and egocentrism clogging our veins.


.

Marc - 6-26-2010 at 04:25 PM

I'll do anything for my country as long as it doesn't hurt.:tumble:

DENNIS - 6-26-2010 at 04:51 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Marc
I'll do anything for my country as long as it doesn't hurt.:tumble:


I guess you don't pay taxes. :o

Bajatripper - 6-27-2010 at 10:51 AM

Quote:
[

it's like b-tching about trying to cross north at 6:30am so you can be at work by 7am


Actually, I wan't "b-tching" at all, just pointing out a fact that I readily accept as the price of admission. And, I thought, offering a possible explanation for some of the recent changes in enforcement by Mexican officials that now complicate our entry into their country. I'm sure I could dig up an article or two showing how this approach has been used in the past to press a point that Mexican officials thought needed pressing.

And I have crossed at that time/day of the week in the past, but have never seen the lines I saw on this particular ocassion.



[Edited on 6-27-2010 by Bajatripper]

[Edited on 6-27-2010 by Bajatripper]

woody with a view - 6-27-2010 at 11:24 AM

Quote:

Actually, I wan't "b-tching" at all, just pointing out a fact that I readily accept as the price of admission.


i see that i misinterpreted your statement. sorry 'bout that.

mooose29 - 6-27-2010 at 08:10 PM

The three tires were mounted on rims ready to be used and like another poster stated we have used multiple spares on trips before and we always replenish at the Llanterra's along the way. In fact there is a good chance these tires were originaly from a llanterra.

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 6-28-2010 at 09:08 AM

hola, good info here, thank you. i have crossed from tecate or tj for years with two spares for my suv and two spares for my utility trailer and and never had a problem but was never unloaded and inspected as i keep the tires in the front of the utility trailer and then jam it full. three tires are not mounted.

fortunately this year, when i crossed at tecate at 6:30 A.M., nobody was at the guard station and i just drove through with ten tires. six for my quads and the four spares. i guess for sure, i would be turned around but i did have all the receipts for the six quad tires.

would that have made a difference as i was ready and expected to pay duty on them ?

BIEN SALUD, DA RAT

toneart - 6-28-2010 at 09:49 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajatripper
If I were a betting man, I'd bet that some of this recent "rule enforcement" at the border entering Mexico (I read of someone else being sent back recently over a similar thing that had always been overlooked before) could be a result of how the border is being fortified on the U.S. side. All of the terrorist-related security measures that have been implemented in the recent past probably have many of our Mexican friends wondering where all of the mistrust has come from. I wouldn't find it surprising if Mexicans, many of whom are every bit as proud of their own country as the most patriotic American is of the U.S., should come up with their own set of "rules" to inconvenience our entry into their country. It wouldn't be the first time that Mexican officials have used such tactics to get our attention.
I had time to ponder this idea a couple of weeks ago, as I sat in traffic stopped on I-5 a considerable distance from the gates to Mexico, waiting my turn to cross.


This is the way I see it. I said as much (or less) in my post further up the page in this string. :smug:

KAT54 - 6-28-2010 at 01:37 PM

If you need 3 spares, d not you think you should buy better tires for you trips?

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 6-29-2010 at 04:04 AM

Hola kat54, i have great tires on my suv but i try and prepare for emergencies as i spend 6 - 9 months in the east cape and like to go see the smaller villages off the beaten path. actually, i have five spare tires including the little donut spare that comes with the car initially.

hmmm...after this thread, i need to buy another aluminum rim and mount one of the spares, just in case, thank you.

BIEN SALUD, DA RAT

mooose29 - 6-29-2010 at 11:01 AM

Kat

Most trips you never need them. Please don't confuse new or old tires with the condition of the tire. We always make sure the tires are in good condition and ready to go, it would defeat the purpose to have spares not in good condition. most of the time you never need them but I have had trips where we have gone through 3-4 tires new and old. Hours and hours of washboard and trails will do that to tires. at the end of the day it is all part of the adventure.

Also if you will notice from the email I stated that we were going to rescue our dune duggy which had broken down and we were towing a trailer with our Suburban. So three spares for 3 types of vehicles that have 12 tires (4 on the suburban, 4 on the buggy, and 4 on the trailer) amongst them is not too many

A lot depends on where and the type of driving being done. Also we like to explore off the beaten path so it is always good to be prepared when you are hours away from help. Also having that extra spare has allowed us to stop and help stranded travelers before.

KAT54 - 6-29-2010 at 02:47 PM

"Also having that extra spare has allowed us to stop and help stranded travelers before."
Are you saying you really do not need 3 for yourself then?
Is this way you were turned back?
Too many tires?
Why complain here then?

mooose29 - 6-29-2010 at 03:23 PM

Too Funny

Kat you need to read the posts a bit better. My post was more information than complaint, rather I was putting it out there to save some other travelers from the same thing happening to them and to find out if any other Nomads have had the same happen to them. After all that is one of the great things about message boards like Nomads, the sharing of information about the place we love to spend time.

Try and have a good day