RE: New ULSD diesels in Mexico.
Do a search. This topic has already been beaten to death several times. Similar to questions on weight or tires, you will find numerous self-styled "experts" on both sides of the discussion.
RE: Poll-First Hand RVing Crimes In Mexico
I marked that I had been " forced" to pay a bribe that happened in Puerto Vallarta, but after I did that I recalled another incident last year in Guadalajara. My DW and I were attending a Spanish Immersion course in Guad and were staying with a wonderful Mexican family. The last night we were there, the parking in front of the house was all full, so I parked about a half block down and around the corner on a side street. In the morning when we were leaving, I noticed that the mirror (glass only) on the driver's side of my pickup had been stolen. On the way out of town I stopped at a GM dealership for a replacement and then noticed that the grill on my pickup had been stolen as well. The guys in the Parts Department said the mirror was not available in Mexico but they could go to a glass shop and get a replacement cut, although the built-in turn signal would not be on it. They quoted me 8500 pesos for replacements (mirror and grill), but said they could go to an aftermarket place and get cheaper parts (7000 pesos for both parts). I agreed (like a total idiot) and the parts Mgr left to get the parts. When he returned he had the grill and a replacement mirror COMPLETE with all the wires and turn signal. He said that would be an extra 1000 pesos and I agreed as I wanted the proper mirror. I probably bought back my own stolen mirror. :o
So maybe I should have marked down that I was robbed twice...once by the thieves that stole my mirror and grill and once by an unscrupulous GM dealership!
RE: Fuel prices 9-25-08
MurrayD,
Sounds good and you are more knowledgeable, so I stand corrected. I can tell you in AZ there is NOT anything but ULSD. On all of the Diesel pumps there is a sticker stating as of Jan. 07, only ULSD will be available. If you check the Flying J site, only ULSD is available in the SouthWest and West. It does show the Old fuel in parts of the rest of the USA. Good Job, but be assured Nogales is ULSD! I guess we are both partly correct. Take care.
rocmoc n AZ/Mexico
Sorry, I wish I didn't have to tell you this, but you are wrong again. If you look at the Flying J website, it shows 5 sites in AZ and all 5 of them have a price for LSD. I checked with the one in Phoenix, and they confirmed that they have both ULSD and LSD available. Give them a call at (623) 936-1118 if you want to check for yourself. Also checked the Eloy location.... they confirmed both ULSD and LSD available at their site. I didn't bother to check the other 3. The sticker you refer to is on the pumps that handle ULSD and is a regulation to show that they are ULSD compliant. It does not mean that the station does not sell LSD from other pumps.
I don't think you can surmise that the diesel in Nogales is ULSD. It might be, but I have yet to see anything that verifies that it is.
RE: Fuel prices 9-25-08
Chris, that link doesn't seem to work anymore.
Again, I'm not disputing that it may be ULSD in Nogales. The only point I was making was that just because it comes from a US refiner does not insure that it is ULSD, at least not until Dec 1, 2010. My apologies to the OP. I didn't mean to hijack your thread.
RE: Fuel prices 9-25-08
Sorry, that's not correct.
Q: When will the ULSD requirement take effect?
A: Refiners and importers must ensure that at least 80% of the volume of highway-diesel fuel they produce or import is ULSD-compliant on June 1st, 2006. ULSD requirements for parties downstream, including terminals, take effect on September 1st, 2006. Retail outlets and fleet fueling facilities must be compliant by October 15th, 2006. From June 1st, 2006 to December 1st, 2010 both ULSD and LSD will coexist in the marketplace. Beginning on December 1st, 2010, only ULSD will be available at retail for highway use.
(In California, the date fro terminals is July 15th, 2006 and September 1st, 2006 for retail stations.)
You can read more here. http://www.clean-diesel.org/highway.html
I'm not disputing that it may be ULSD in Nogales. The only point I was making was that just because it comes from a US refiner does not insure that it is ULSD, at least not until Dec 1, 2010.
RE: Fuel prices 9-25-08
Diesel is delivered to Nogales via a pipeline from a Texas Refinery. So at least in Nogales the diesel IS the Ultra Low Diesel.
rocmoc n AZ/Mexico
Not necessarily true. Just because it comes from a US refinery doesn't mean it is ULSD. Full changeover to 100% ULSD for on-hwy use does not occur till Dec 1, 2010.
RE: vaccinations
I got a Hep A shot for the first time in my life as we are thinking about going into Belize and Guatemala this year. Hep B is more difficult to contract so I did not get that one. Tetanus is the only other shot I get and I do that every ten years anyway.
The Twinrix vaccination is for both A and B. May as well get protected against both while you're at it.
" What is hepatitis B and how is it spread?
Hepatitis B is a serious liver disease that is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids or blood—but it's more than just a sexually-transmitted disease. Anyone having dental treatments, manicures, accidents where skin is broken (e.g., falling off a bicycle), tattooing, shared grooming items or administering first aid could come into contact with hepatitis B. Think about it—it could be you.
According to Health Canada, between six and 10% of adults who get hepatitis B become lifelong "carriers." That means they can transmit the disease to others, even though they have no symptoms themselves. Chronic carriers are at increased risk for developing serious liver diseases like cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Your risk of contracting hepatitis B can be significantly reduced through vaccination."
RE: vaccinations
Definitely Hep A and B. The Twinrix vacination is good for 15 to 20 years and you should probably have it anyway, but you should definitely have it when traveling to Mexico. Go here to read about Twinrix vaccine and Hepatitis.
RE: toll booths Mexico
Note also that there is the selection of which vehicle you are driving - which gives you the toll rates you can expect. For our truck and 5th, the rate is that for "automovil remolque 2 eje".
That would be correct for a SRW pickup and 5th. If you are driving a dually with a 5th it will be slightly less (strange but true), as you will be charged the rate for a 2,3 or 4 axle truck with no additional charge for the 5th.
RE: toll booths Mexico
I've seen this happen several times. I don't think it has anything to do with the length of your unit, but rather by the distance between the back of your pickup and the front of the fiver. I'm not 100% sure, but I believe the arm is actuated by a sensor that detects when your vehicle has passed through. In the case of a fiver, it sometimes sees the space between the back of your pickup and the front of the fiver and automatically closes the arm.
In some cases the attendant is considerate enough to step out to the arm and hold it so it doesn't come down. If he/she doesn't do this on their own, I've asked them to do it and never been turned down.
RE: Garmin GPS Mexico Road Map
This looks tempting Topazguns but my fear is that after I buy the download, I will not be able to install/use it and will be faced with dealing with Customer Support in Spanish. I wonder if these are available in Mexico as a direct purchase where I could get help installing it in my Garmin Nuvi 260.
I recently bought and downloaded this. Go to Map download and you can purchase for $97.00. It's a US company and all went smoothly.
I should add that you must have Garmin Mapsource on your computer in order to use this product and upload to your GPS. I have the Nuvi 750 and it was an easy procedure overall.
RE: Just spent a month in Banff and Jasper
However, I've got no problem with the dogs chasing the pika's... Those lil varmints are bad this year. I finally let the dogs after them this weekend at our campsite after loosing a whole bag of hamburger buns (bag and all carted the whole thing off the picnic table; damn they're determined!), and a few of them were trying to make a home of our TC.
The OP was referring to Pikas, but you are probably talking about Columbia Ground Squirrels. You'll never see a pika in a campground.
RE: When ya leaving? Where ya crossing?
There is a god reason why many on this board are not leaving early for Mexico. Although the rules vary slightly from Province to Province a Canadian cannot be covered under our not so great medical system if he or she is out of their home province for more than 180 days. This includes being in another province in Canada. Example: You are in Mexico/USA from January to March ( 3 months) then return to Canada and visit your family in another province for 1 month then depart in October for Mexico/USA. You have now been out of province for 7 months and technically are not covered. Returning to your home province does not reset the clock. I think BC and Ontario are a little more lenient but the others are not. There may also be a waiting period to get back into the system. This is why there are very few Canadian full timers. One great system!!!!!
Moisheh
Alberta Health is quite lenient in this regard.
From the "Travel Health Insurance Matters" brochure:
Temporary absence
You must maintain your Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan coverage if you leave Alberta for another part of Canada and intend to return within 12 months, or leave for another country and intend to return within six months. If you are leaving for a longer period, you may apply for the following extensions of coverage:
Four years (48 months) for absence due to work, business or missionary service
Two years (24 months) for travel, personal visits or educational leave (sabbatical)
The time period you are a full-time student at an accredited educational institute
If you are normally in Alberta at least 183 days of the year, you remain eligible for continued Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan coverage. If you are away longer but retain your ties in Alberta – for example, permanent residence – contact us to apply for continued coverage.
If an Albertan is planning to head south for the winter, all they need to do is phone Alberta Health and give them their travel dates and they will code your acct accordingly. They even have a "snowbird' option which sets up a recurring extension for you. Also, the scenario of visiting another Province then going to Mexico as described in the quoted post does not cause any problem here. No fuss, no muss, no bother.
RE: Mice
When you put the camper away for the winter cover the thing inside with Bounce dryer sheets. Cover all floors, beds and furniture. Open up all cabinets and every thing else you can think of. Probally will use quite a few boxes but this meathod has always worked for us. An extra bonus is that in the Spring your camper will smell great! The mice dont like the smell.
Tony
The mice will love you for this! The Bounce sheets make wonderful bedding material for them. And that's about all they do.
RE: help
They (the dealers) are telling me that I would be able to pull a unit with a half ton pickup.
Steve
The old saying about dealers goes something like this: "You can always tell when they are lieing.....their lips move". :B
RE: US and Canadian Duties on Alcohol
I feel we were tricked.
They looked at everything and the female officer pulled out all the wine that we had and put it on the dining table, she didn't worry about the open vodka in the freezer. We also had some bourbon, scotch and gin (not open).
We all went back in and she said that we were not honest about how much alcohol that we had. I TOLD HER FROM THE START THAT WE WEREN'T"T SURE!!! That seems tricky to me. We had to pay $182 in tax (we had 15 bottles of wine).
So, now we know about liquor tax!
MM.
Actually, I'd say you got off very lucky. It's your responsibility to declare your items when crossing the border (either direction). An answer of "I'm not sure" doesn't really cut it. Instead of going back in your MH and giving them an accurate declaration, you took a guess. They checked your MH and found your 'guess' was inaccurate. What else would you have had them do?
Incidentally, I would guess that you are now flagged in the computer system as a known smuggler (for want of a better term) and can expect to be pulled over and fully checked every time you cross the border in future (either direction).
Murray, it was a Canadian trick as far as I'm concerned. I didn't make an inventory of my underwear, my clothing, food or my liquor, what's in the motorhome is in IN the motorhome.
I don't mind paying the duty at all, I just don't want to be accused of lying when I told them up front I'm not sure of the "liter's" of alcohol.... I just buy the bottle I want and it is what it is.
I DID NOT take an inventory of alcohol or anything else.
We have been flagged in the computer, they are certainly welcome to search the coach as they will find nothing exciting.
MM.
Well, I guess you just don't get it. You will be asked some very pointed questions at any border crossing, and you will be required to provide an honest answer or face the consequences if they find your answer to be inaccurate. I'm not sure how you can manipulate that into a "Canadian trick". There are certain items that are restricted and carefully checked at the borders: going into Canada you will be almost always asked about booze, firearms and sometimes tobacco products; going into the US, it will be about beef, vegetables and some fruits. If you can't or won't truthfully answer their questions, you can hardly claim that you were tricked.
As far as your remark that "what's in the motorhome is in IN the motorhome" is concerned, that's just pure nonsense. If you travel solely within your own country you can (usually) carry whatever you like in your MH, but when you choose to cross a border into a foreign country, there are restrictions that you are required to adhere to.
On edit: if you had answered their question up front and declared that you had 15 bottles of wine, some bourbon, gin, scotch and vodka, you would have been assessed at least the amt of Duties that you ended up paying. So where is the trick?
Murray, whether you like it or not it was a Canadian trick as far as I'm concerned.. No, I didn't know what they were going to ask. I was honest. I didn't know EXACTLY how many liters of alcohol...who knows exactly how much they have? I've never driven into Canada before.
Again, I don't mind paying the duty at all. I just don't like being accused of lying about something that I didn't know exactly what the amount was. I wasn't hiding anything. They saw that when they searched the Dynasty. If they were really trying to be idiots, they would have confiscated the wine (and they told us that... that they could confiscate the overage).
It would be nice if they had a sign before you enter of what they will want to know. Canada is a small country with a small population, they should be glad that we want to visit.
We have tons of Canadian snowbirds that come to Palm Springs during the winter... we don't cause them any trouble even if they say the word "about" funny! LOL!
MM.
"It would be nice if they had a sign before you enter of what they will want to know. Canada is a small country with a small population, they should be glad that we want to visit." :S :R
Say WHAT?????? Now that you've clearly demonstrated the level of your intelligence, I think I'll move on to a more mature discussion.
Have a nice day.
RE: US and Canadian Duties on Alcohol
This thread is getting way off the OP's question.
For info on Americans returning to the US, go here for info on allowable amounts and duties that will be charged for excess.
For info on crossing into Ontario from the US, the amount of Duties you will be charged on amts over the duty-free limits is not very clear, but go here for a page that may provide some info for you.
RE: US and Canadian Duties on Alcohol
Yeah......suuuuure, Mr. Mark is a smuggler, wanting to travel in his MH with wine for personal use, and has to pay three times what each bottle cost him in the States. That's a con and racket the Canadian gov't. have going. Mr. Mark was/is headed into Canada to spend likely a few thousand dollars as a tourist, and is treated like a criminal.
I don't get this country's, attitude, gov't. rackets and all. :R
Guns
fireworks
ammunition
plants
produce
pets
meats
large amounts of cash.......fine, but a few bottles of wine?? Nut-uh....
I would love to see Cdn booze prices equal to those in the US but that isn't the issue here. Nor is it the issue that he brought the wine into Canada, it's that he didn't give them a truthful, accurate answer to their question of how much alcohol he had in the MH. Giving an evasive answer and then getting checked is hardly being treated like a criminal. Whether it's a question about booze, firearms, citizenship, past criminal offenses, beef, widgets or whatever, if you can't or won't answer truthfully and accurately, you can expect the border agents to give you some grief. And that applies to crossing in either direction, north or south.
RE: US and Canadian Duties on Alcohol
I feel we were tricked.
They looked at everything and the female officer pulled out all the wine that we had and put it on the dining table, she didn't worry about the open vodka in the freezer. We also had some bourbon, scotch and gin (not open).
We all went back in and she said that we were not honest about how much alcohol that we had. I TOLD HER FROM THE START THAT WE WEREN'T"T SURE!!! That seems tricky to me. We had to pay $182 in tax (we had 15 bottles of wine).
So, now we know about liquor tax!
MM.
Actually, I'd say you got off very lucky. It's your responsibility to declare your items when crossing the border (either direction). An answer of "I'm not sure" doesn't really cut it. Instead of going back in your MH and giving them an accurate declaration, you took a guess. They checked your MH and found your 'guess' was inaccurate. What else would you have had them do?
Incidentally, I would guess that you are now flagged in the computer system as a known smuggler (for want of a better term) and can expect to be pulled over and fully checked every time you cross the border in future (either direction).
Murray, it was a Canadian trick as far as I'm concerned. I didn't make an inventory of my underwear, my clothing, food or my liquor, what's in the motorhome is in IN the motorhome.
I don't mind paying the duty at all, I just don't want to be accused of lying when I told them up front I'm not sure of the "liter's" of alcohol.... I just buy the bottle I want and it is what it is.
I DID NOT take an inventory of alcohol or anything else.
We have been flagged in the computer, they are certainly welcome to search the coach as they will find nothing exciting.
MM.
Well, I guess you just don't get it. You will be asked some very pointed questions at any border crossing, and you will be required to provide an honest answer or face the consequences if they find your answer to be inaccurate. I'm not sure how you can manipulate that into a "Canadian trick". There are certain items that are restricted and carefully checked at the borders: going into Canada you will be almost always asked about booze, firearms and sometimes tobacco products; going into the US, it will be about beef, vegetables and some fruits. If you can't or won't truthfully answer their questions, you can hardly claim that you were tricked.
As far as your remark that "what's in the motorhome is in IN the motorhome" is concerned, that's just pure nonsense. If you travel solely within your own country you can (usually) carry whatever you like in your MH, but when you choose to cross a border into a foreign country, there are restrictions that you are required to adhere to.
On edit: if you had answered their question up front and declared that you had 15 bottles of wine, some bourbon, gin, scotch and vodka, you would have been assessed at least the amt of Duties that you ended up paying. So where is the trick?
