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Mexico main page
The information
provided in all Mexican pages are only suggestions and anecdotal stories.
The information in the Mexican pages is
a
generic peace of work and is meant only as a general guide,
it should
not be taken as absolute fact.
The information provided in this pages can change at any given day.
| Conversion
Formulas: |
Mexico Wohnmobilvermietung
California |
|
Liters to
Gallons: |
Gallons to
Liters: |
|
[L] ÷ 4 X
105.36% |
[G] X 4 X
94.64% |
Mexico's petroleum industry is
wholly government owned. Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX for short) manufactures,
distributes and sells gasoline, in a state owned monopoly. PEMEX gasoline
stations are common. They are franchise operations, with the franchisee
providing the land the electricity and the manpower to operate the station. Some
of the newest PEMEX super stations in central Mexico, have integral mini-marts,
car wash, and lube and oil changing facilities. Other companies may sell
lubricating oil (e.g., Quaker State is quite popular), but only Pemex
distributes and sells fuel (often through franchises). Pemex stations typically
accept only cash (i.e., no checks or credit cards)!
Note: Beginning in 2001 there are a few stations, in some of the larger
cities, which are trying a program of accepting credit cards. However, you
should not depend on finding such a station, unless you already know the
location.
At popular times there may be
gasoline supply problems, especially in the central region of the peninsula. One
time to be especially careful is "Easter week" - a major
travel time in Mexico. Another possibly difficult time is after Christmas when
many U.S. and Canadian RV's are heading both north and south before the new year
begins.
Three grades of gasoline are
sold in Mexico: Nova, Magna Sin and Premium.
Nova
Novas, is the lowest grade of gasoline and also the most common. It is sold out
of Blue dispensing pumps, and is popular with Mexican drivers because of it's
price (usually a few pennies less per gallon than higher grades). Most heavily
laden RV's cannot use Nova, because it's octane level is far less than
even the lowest grade of US gasoline, and it's use causes severe knocking and
piston damage. Contrary to popular opinion, Nova does not contain significant
amounts of tetraethyl-lead.
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Magna
Sin
This mid-grade fuel is sold from a bright green pump, and is Mexico's most
popular unleaded gasoline. It's octane level is somewhere around 86, and is
superior to the silver pump "Extra" which it replaced in 1990. Most
vehicles will run acceptably on "Magna" (as it's popularly called in
Mexico). However, some very heavily laden motor homes and tow vehicles can find
themselves in a position where Magna Sin, is just "border-line" in
preventing knocking and pinging. These vehicles will have to have their ignition
timing adjusted to prevent engine damage.
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Premium
Mexico's newest gasoline (92 octane), is also it's best effort to date. Unfortunately
Premium gasoline is found only in larger towns and cities, and will slowly
migrate outwards to medium size towns. Premium seems to have an octane rating
that's higher than US regular unleaded gasoline. The superiority in octane and
performance over Magna Sin, makes seeking out and filling your tank with this
fuel a wise choice, when availability permits. Premium is unleaded, and like
Nova, and Magna Sin,
Premium, does not seem to contain the Additive "MTBE" found in
California fuels. Premium is offered only in the busier or newer stations.
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Mexican
Diesel
Mexican diesel fuel used to be so cheap that big freight trucks could haul their
load from the border with Guatemala to the US border for under a hundred
dollars. Even through the cost has multiplied to just over a dollar per gallon
in 1997, diesel fuel continues to be a bargain, especially in comparison to
Mexican gasoline, which costs slightly more than gasoline sold in the United
States.
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Diesel Sin
This is the new and improved version of
the old yellow diesel that was sold until 1994. Even though the older fuel
offered very high economy, it's high sulfur content was unkind to turbochargers,
and electronic metered fuel circuits. The new fuel is less yellow, and is still
held in high regard by RV'ers, who inevitably compare it to fuel found in the
US. Mexican diesel is generally regarded as being superior to U.S. fuel, in
every respect but cleanliness.
Fuel/water separators, such as the "Raycor" brand, are very popular in
Mexico, and protect fuel pumps and injectors against water and particulate
contamination damage.
Many seasoned travelers to Mexico, have
found that protecting their gasoline powered RV, with a large gasoline
pre-filter, makes perfect sense. Spin on filters, designed for diesel engines,
work perfectly well with gasoline. Reducing the fitting size to the correct
diameter will allow original fuel line hose to be retained. Generally, these
very large filters (about double the size of a car oil filter) are installed in
the fuel pump suction line, between the tank and the engine fuel pump. The
location allows the filter to protect the fuel pump as well. This idea works
every bit as good on diesel or gasoline engines. Don't worry about the filter
restricting flow to the fuel pump. The area of the large filter allows for fuel
flows that are indistinguishable from an unfiltered line. A good filter model is
one that is referred to as a "Primary Filter" for a Detroit Diesel
engine. The filter house personnel
can provide a filter mounting base that is compatible with the spin on element.
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Propane
Mexico actually has Butane
rather than Propane. It burns the same with no adjustments necessary to your
heater, or stove. Bulk plants are located outside the city limits (sometimes
miles away) always along side a main highway. Bulk trucks (delivery trucks with
a pump and meter) are becoming more common, but usually 25 gallon cylinders are
hauled around on the back of flatbed trucks. Huge tanker trucks haul the butane
down from the USA, where it is purchased to refill the bulk plants.
When sold by the kilogram,
two Kilograms of gas equal one gallon of liquid and vapor.
Don't try to haul a
full load of Butane back to your home if you live in cold country. It won't flow
in sub freezing temperatures. Half a tank mixture of Propane and Butane will
work OK down to zero Fahrenheit.
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Gas
Plant Locator Guide
| Gas
Plant Locator Guide (Ensenáda - Los Cabos) |
| City |
Location |
Hwy
# |
Metered |
Open
Saturday |
Open
Sunday |
| All |
Six-wheel bulk
trucks (on the road) |
All |
Yes |
Y |
Y |
| Ensenáda |
5 miles north
of town east side of hwy |
1 |
Yes |
Y |
Y (½ ) |
| Tecate |
3 miles south
on west side (hwy to Ensenáda) |
3 |
Yes |
Y |
Y (½ ) |
| Col. Guerrero |
3 miles north
of town on west side of hwy |
1 |
Yes |
Y (½ ) |
N |
| Guerrero Negro |
2 miles south
of eagle monument on west side |
1 |
No |
Y (½ ) |
N |
| Santa Rosalia |
5 miles north
of town on the north side of hwy |
1 |
No |
Y (½ ) |
N |
| Cd. Constitución |
4 miles north
of town on west side of hwy |
1 |
Yes |
Y (½ ) |
N |
| La Paz |
5 miles south
of town on east side of hwy |
1 |
Yes |
Y |
Y (½ ) |
| S. José del
Cabo |
6 miles west
of town on north side of hwy |
1 |
Yes |
Y (½ ) |
N |
| Cábo San
Lucas |
5 miles north
of town on west side of hwy |
19 |
Yes |
Y (½ ) |
N |
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Motor
Fuel
Bulk plants are allowed to charge more for Butane used as motor fuel. The
surcharge is about 20% but it varies widely from place to place. Bulk trucks will fill up your motor fuel tank, and they usually split the
difference between motor fuel and domestic fuel prices. This is usually done
"around the corner".
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Some
Plants Don't Have Meters
Mexico is still not used to odd size gas tanks. At the bulk plant, scales are
used to measure sales in Kilograms. If your tank is portable then weight added
to it, will be charged as gas. Tanks mounted in vehicles present an unknown as
far as quantities are concerned; they can't weigh the tank. Clean off the
specification tag that's glued onto your tank. It'll have the gas capacity
(usually water capacity) which the attendant will refer to for determining the
quantity needed to fill it. Ask for a presupuesto (estimate), of liters
needed to fill your tank (four liters are 105% of 1 gallon). Most employees are
honest but many are not skilled in math. It's best to establish your tank
capacity before the time comes to argue with the attendant.
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Overfilling
The Tank
If your tank is inadvertently overfilled (white vapor escapes from your 10%
valve when cracked), you'll need to bleed the tank until clear vapor replaces
the white. Do this at the plant, but over to one side where you won't block
other customers.
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No
Fires Permitted
Mexican bulk plants are equipped to dispense motor fuel gas to vehicles that
have "Fast Fill" fittings (the same fitting as used throughout the
United States and Canada). Bleeder valves and vapor escape hoses are
non-existent. When plant personnel loosen the connection after filling raw
liquid escapes copiously. Therefore extinguish all potential sources of ignition
before driving up to the dispenser.
Needless to say, a fire in a gas plant is very dangerous. Employees are cavalier
with dispensing hoses, sometimes allowing them to shoot gallons of fuel around
while depressurizing hoses and lines. Before you enter the yard SHUT OFF THE
GAS VALVES TO YOUR HOT WATER HEATER, TO YOUR REFRIGERATOR AND THE MAIN TANK
VALVES. Don't restart the appliances until after you have fueled up and
until you have exited the bulk plant.
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Pesos
Versus Dollars
Try to use pesos when buying LPG fuel or gasoline. It's a lot easier to
calculate.
How to Convert
Pesos per Liter To Dollars Per Gallon. Grab a nearby calculator.
You're going to have to note down the price of the fuel in pesos, per liter.
Next, jot down the exchange rate that was last used to convert your dollars to
pesos: Example 7.88 (to 1)
This formula only works if you can remember it's 'key' numbers, so jot them down
on the back of a business card and stick it back in your wallet or purse. The
calculator is used for simple multiplication and division.
| |
|
Amount |
| 1. Enter the price per
liter (in pesos) |
|
i.e.
$2.50 |
| 2. Multiply that by
4 |
|
x 4 |
| |
Sub
total |
$10.00 |
| 3. Multiply again, but
times 94.64 |
|
x 94.64 |
| 4. Push the % percent
key |
Sub
total |
$
9.46 |
| 5. Divide by the
exchange rate |
|
|
| |
Total
in dollars per gallon |
$
1.20 |
A liter is "close" to being a
US quart, but we needed to adjust it for an exact fit. 94.64th of a liter is
exactly one quart. Most Mexican dispensing meters are not this accurate.
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Rip-offs
There are a number of common gas
station rip-offs the tourist should be aware of. Here is a general list:
- The pump is not
"zeroed" when pumping is started.
- Incorrect change is offered
under the assumption that the tourist will be ignorant of the coins, or
too timid to complain.
- The "emergency
stop" button is pushed while you're not looking. This resets the
register to some even amount ($90, $80, etc.), and then the attendent
explains that you owe that amount and it will be added to the amount from
the remaining fillup. He must then reset the pump by holding the button
down, and at this point you will see the register counting down by 10's to
zero.
This is probably most frequently used when there are two tanks being
filled. The best known station for this activity is the Santa Rosalia
Pemex station.
- The pump is mis-calibrated to
read high. Unfortunately, there is nothing to be done about this scam.
The San Quintin (north) and
Santa Rosalia stations are the most commonly reported as being the site
of dishonest attendants. Don't expect to get anywhere with the management, or
even the local police, if you are cheated at these stations.
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Know
your Tank Capacity
| ¼ TANK |
½ TANK |
¾ TANK |
FULL TANK |
STUFFED TANK |
| 17.6 G |
35.3 G |
53 G |
70.6 G |
83 G |
| 66.6 L |
133.2 L |
200 L |
267 L (full) |
314 Liters |
| 248 Liters |
181 Liters |
114 Liters |
47 Liters |
0 Liters |
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