By David Eidell (10/09)

Mexico's petroleum industry is wholly government owned. "Petroleos Mexicanos" (PEMEX for short) manufactures, imports from the USA, distributes and sells motor fuels and lubricants. It might surprise you to learn that Mexico now imports about two-thirds of its gasoline from the USA. Almost all gasoline sold in the northern half of the country is US refined fuel. Gasoline stations (referred to, as "gasolineras") are extremely 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. Two grades of gasoline are sold in Mexico Regular and Premium: Mexican gasoline does not use the controversial MTBE additive. No Mexican automotive gasoline contains even the slightest trace of lead additive. Mexican aviation gasoline will not be dispensed to anyone not possessing a valid aircraft manifest (there goes your plans to fuel up that ultra-high compression dune buggy).

MAGNA Gasoline

Magna is Mexico's unleaded regular gasoline. It is sold from a bright green pump. Its octane level is realistically somewhere around 88 (It is far superior to the silver pump unleaded "Extra" which it replaced in 1990). Magna gasoline is highly regarded by RV’ers. Most vehicles will run acceptably on "Magna" (as it's popularly called in Mexico). However, some very heavily laden motor homes and towing vehicles may benefit from a higher-octane fuel. Generally if an automobile or RV requires the use of premium grade US gasoline, then it will require Mexico's premium gasoline.

PREMIUM Gasoline

Mexico's newest gasoline is also its best effort to date. As of mid-2004, Pemex Premium gasoline can be found at most every highway "gasolinera", and only out-of-the-way stations are missing this fuel which is dispensed from a bright red pump. Premium grade fuel compares favorably to US premium grade gasoline that advertises 92-octane performance. A couple of years ago I chatted with the eccentric owner of a Maseratti supercharged touring sedan. He chortled that the red pump premium allowed his car to achieve the same amount of power as his favorite US gasoline.

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 ten-fold to two dollars thirty-nine cents per gallon in 2009, diesel fuel continues to be a bargain. In 1990, Mexico reformulated its one single grade of diesel (No. 2) to have one-tenth of the sulfur content of the earlier fuel. While the new formulation has more sulfur content than Ultra Low Sulfur diesel sold in the USA, most experts agree that Mexico's fuel is better for diesel engine internals as far as lubricity is concerned. Mexico's diesel is pretty much similar to diesel fuel sold in the US in the 1990's. It is not unusual to expect a ten percent gain in fuel mileage with Pemex diesel fuel as compared to US diesel.

Contaminated diesel fuel was a big issue until the turn of the century. While not entirely resolved, independent bulk diesel fuel tanker transportation companies have pretty much "cleaned up their act" due to pressure brought by Pemex. I always travel with three or four spare filters "just in case". If your plans include residing for longer than a few weeks on a tropical beach, you might want to consider bringing "biocide" fuel treatment. Scum producing organisms can develop in fuel tanks when there is humidity present with warm temperatures. I keep my tanks topped off to minimize condensation.

The Price Of Pemex Gasoline And Diesel

As was pointed out in the first paragraph, Pemex is a government monopoly. As such, Pemex sets the price of its products with no regard to having a competitive spirit (there is no competition). Prices for fuel around the country are uniform with the exception of within ten miles of the US border and the two states of Baja California. There, prices are adjusted to keep Mexican stations competitive with nearby US stations. On the Baja peninsula the federal excise tax is ten rather than fifteen percent so fuel is a few cents cheaper per gallon. In peso terms the price of fuel in Mexico has historically never decreased — any increase is permanent. Keep in mind however, that the cost of fuel using US dollars generally decreases over time. Gasoline and diesel fuel prices are higher in peso terms than they were a couple of years ago, but because of continuing devaluation of the peso; the cost in dollar terms is slightly less.

Cash Only

For all intents and purposes you can count on paying cash at the pump. And it is important to keep in mind that outside of the immediate border area, most stations will refuse to take US Dollars, or they can impose such a punitive peso/dollar exchange rate that the fuel may cost up to twenty percent more than it would if you use pesos! A new credit card payment system has been instituted in urban Pemex stations (remember in Mexico to refer to them as gasolineras). However a high service fee makes payment with a credit card a bit of a splurge (more than three dollars a transaction). Also several reports of fraudulent credit card charges have been noted – use pesos and save you time and trouble.

Rip Offs

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A FEW YEARS MAKE!

Various schemes by station attendants to bilk customers have almost disappeared. Public pressure and government intervention forced the owners of many gasolineras to fire dishonest employees and many stations now employ only female attendants. But I realize that not all attendants may be Girl Scouts and I still watch the dispenser pump and count my change carefully.

The era of the tampered-with gas pump is over. Many station owners had in the past had reset their pumps to deliver as much as eight-percent less fuel than what the dispenser dial indicated. NOTE: In 1994 I toured Mexico with an expensive 20-liter “test measure” that had a certificate of accuracy traceable to the U.S.A. N.I.S.T. (National Institute of Standards & Technology). I tested the pumps in more than one hundred stations throughout Mexico and then met with Paul Carroll, bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal in Mexico City where we tested yet another pump. Mr. Carroll wrote an article that appeared on page R-8 in the special NAFTA edition of the Wall Street Journal in October 1994. It was rumored that then president of Mexico Carlos Salinas de Gotari read the WSJ every morning and got so upset when reading the story that he spilled his coffee all over the paper. My own opinion of how much effect the test had on righting the offending pumps is that it was minimal perhaps one hammer blow to pounding one nail into the coffin.

New tamper-proof gasoline pumps now rule Pemex gasolineras. The pumps will shut off after a few minutes of inactivity. Attendants can now dial-in a specified money amount and the pump will shut off right to the zero. A new government Consumer Protection Agency whose acronym is PROFECO randomly tests pumps at gas stations and offending (older style) pumps are shut down and wrapped with yellow tape marked IMOVILIZADO (Frozen). Stubborn, crooked station owners soon learned that if they removed the tape and starting using the pump they would be arrested, fined a huge amount of money and have Pemex threaten to yank their franchise. The Mexican motoring public is still ecstatic over the improvement.

Availability Of US Brand Motor Oil In Mexico

Unless you are strapped for room, it's easiest to carry sufficient lube oil from home to last you through your journey. A variety if brands and grades are available in Mexico although your choice may be hard to find. Mexicans love heavy grades of oil. It is not unusual to find lots of fifty-weight and forty-weight single grade oil, less 20W-50 and little if any 10W-40 multi grades and no 5W-30. Synthetic motor oils in various brands and grades are now commonly encountered.

For diesel owners Delo 400 15W-40 oil can be found in one of about twenty COSTCO warehouses (your US Costco membership card is valid in Mexico. But not the charge account part of the Executive Membership card). The warehouses can be found in most state capitols. Outside of Costco, Delo, Rotella T and Union Fleet Gard diesel lube oil can be found at new big rig truck dealership parts departments.

A Note About Oil Filters: Mexican oil filters with the brand name "Ghoner" are of good quality. Owners of diesels and toads will definitely want to bring oil and fuel filters from home.

A Note About Mexican Batteries: Most BCI group sizes can be found from utility tractor size to giant 8-D batteries. Some carry longer warranties than others but many offer solely a one-year free exchange and no further pro-rata guarantee. No battery purchased in Mexico regardless of its origin can be warranted outside the country, even American brands like those sold at Wal-Mart and Costco.

Golf Car batteries are non-existent. Mexican golf courses have gasoline-powered cars. In coastal areas LTH brand marine batteries are sometimes available.

Optima batteries are available in Mexico and to establish whether or not Optima will honor Mexican sold Optima in the USA I would contact them for further information.

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