# As of now,all diesel in Mexico is ULSD



## karmatourer (Jul 6, 2018)

For those considering a visit or relocation,no worries about the supply. 
Until recently,it was difficult to make the drive from San Diego to Cabo,depending on your MPG or tank capacity. Baja is now all ULSD.
I just received a PM from the diesel expert on the Baja Nomads forum confirming it. Here is the link from Pemex in Spanish.
Pemex Diésel
This is the crux of the PM I received:
"Drum roll please, because this looks like it will be the last time I have to post an update. The diesel fuel at all of the retail outlets in Mexico isnow ULSD, meaning that the days of pumping high sulfur diesel fuel in Mexico are over.

All of Pemex's diesel producing refineries have been updated with desulfuring plants and Pemex is listing all of it's diesel production as ULSD, 15ppmor less of sulfur. You can see the information in the first paragraph at this Pemex link.

So, it's time for me to retire from assisting owners of late model diesels, and all of you out there who have been saying you won't risk trading in your old tired out-dated diesel can finally go and buy a new one.

Have a great winter in Mexico."
​


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

Do you feel the 2400 mile Mexican road trips are the safest thing to do right now. Everything leads to yes, did just read this tonight, not Cabo but still...

"(CNN)Mexican state and federal authorities have taken control of Acapulco's police after a recent spike in homicides sparked suspicions that criminal groups had infiltrated the department, a joint force said in a statement.Tuesday's seizure was conducted by the Guerrero Coordination Group, a joint operation of Mexican state and federal departments, including the National Secretary of Defense, the marines, federal police, the state prosecutor's office and state police, said Roberto Álvarez Heredia, the group's spokesman."


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## karmatourer (Jul 6, 2018)

Eddy Cruze said:


> Do you feel the 2400 mile Mexican road trips are the safest thing to do right now. Everything leads to yes, did just read this tonight, not Cabo but still...
> 
> "(CNN)Mexican state and federal authorities have taken control of Acapulco's police after a recent spike in homicides sparked suspicions that criminal groups had infiltrated the department, a joint force said in a statement.Tuesday's seizure was conducted by the Guerrero Coordination Group, a joint operation of Mexican state and federal departments, including the National Secretary of Defense, the marines, federal police, the state prosecutor's office and state police, said Roberto Álvarez Heredia, the group's spokesman."


That happened about a decade ago in a few smaller towns along the border south of Arizona and west Texas. That is really surprising regarding Acapulco.
I spent 2 years in Baja,in La Paz and Cabo and a year in on this side,in Merida,in the Yucatan. In that time,I was on a motorcycle most of the time and visited 20+ Mexican states on trips from the US and while I lived there. I never once had an issue and as Cheeto would say,"Believe me",you are as easy mark on a motorcycle. Regarding Baja,once you get 20 miles south of the border/Tijuana,it is 1 of the most beautiful and safe places you'll ever see. I like it there. But getting back to the availability, nationwide of ULSD,it's great news for diesel owners.
And a heads up for anyone buying gas at Pemex,the government monopoly on stations until very recently,be sure the attendant zeroes the pump before he starts pumping. It's the oldest scam in the industry.
Thanks for the heads up on Acapulco.


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

Thank you, great information. I tried to organize a trip to the Cruze plant in Ramos Arizpe Mexico. Probably not as safe or doable but there were a few people interested, oh well


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## eddiefromcali (Aug 21, 2017)

My brother recently took his gas truck from TJ to La Paz and Cabo...no issues and they had a great time. He did install an 20gal aux tank and only traveled during the day though. Even if diesel is ULSD now, some stations just don't have any...especially in remote areas.


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## karmatourer (Jul 6, 2018)

Eddy Cruze said:


> Thank you, great information. I tried to organize a trip to the Cruze plant in Ramos Arizpe Mexico. Probably not as safe or doable but there were a few people interested, oh well


I'd be interested but 1 important thing to know. If your car is financed,chances are they finance company probably won't allow it to be taken down south. Some do,some don't. And if so,the maximum is 30 days. We can make a month-long trip of it and visit 20+ plants in Mexico.
It's a relatively easy drive from the border to Monterrey and the plant is only 50 miles or so from there.


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## karmatourer (Jul 6, 2018)

eddiefromcali said:


> My brother recently took his gas truck from TJ to La Paz and Cabo...no issues and they had a great time. He did install an 20gal aux tank and only traveled during the day though. Even if diesel is ULSD now, some stations just don't have any...especially in remote areas.


There is a 200 mile stretch with no stations and the only gas available is from cans in the back of someone's truck. That stretch is an issue for motorcycle riders. Interesting that you say it isn't available in remote areas. Good to know. I'm going on the BajaNomad forum to pass this info and see if members there have experienced it.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

Interesting conversation here, I for one have zero desire to visit or drive in Mexico. The drug gangs there I just think are dangerous and driving there in a new car with American plates seems to make me a even bigger target.


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## karmatourer (Jul 6, 2018)

IndyDiesel said:


> Interesting conversation here, I for one have zero desire to visit or drive in Mexico. The drug gangs there I just think are dangerous and driving there in a new car with American plates seems to make me a even bigger target.


I get where you're coming from.
It is an amazing country and as a former ex-pat there for 3 years,as far as I know,it has the largest number of American retirees outside the USA. I'll make a generalization now-generally elderly folks make "easy targets" and if you google it,crime against them is lower than against Mexican nationals. Drug gangs there are indeed dangerous and don't affect the daily life of the vast majority of the country. Your common misconceptions are understood and easily explainable. 
As an aside,I've visited 40 countries and 48 states and it has given me a wide perspective on life outside what most consider life as "safe" in this country. I have visited countless times aside from living there and if it was as bad as your perception,I would not have done so. People in Mexico are very warm,the cost of living is far better than here and the climate agrees with many,so it is attractive to many retirees and visitors.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

Eddy Cruze said:


> Do you feel the 2400 mile Mexican road trips are the safest thing to do right now. Everything leads to yes, did just read this tonight, not Cabo but still...


Baja is geographically isolated and almost entirely socially isolated from the rest of Mexico. It might as well be a different country.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

karmatourer said:


> If your car is financed,chances are they finance company probably won't allow it to be taken down south. Some do,some don't. And if so,the maximum is 30 days.


Why would you even tell them? So long as your payment arrives on time they don't care.


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## karmatourer (Jul 6, 2018)

Barry Allen said:


> Why would you even tell them? So long as your payment arrives on time they don't care.


When you apply for insurance coverage from companies that sell Mexican coverage,they ask if your car is financed. If so,you must produce a letter from whoever holds the note. If you want full coverage there,you must have full coverage here. I have used Baja Bound but there are many other companies selling Mexican insurance.
Until a couple of years ago,you could buy a policy that only covered Baja. That changed and now policies cover the entire country and of course,the increased policy costs.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

karmatourer said:


> I get where you're coming from.
> It is an amazing country and as a former ex-pat there for 3 years,as far as I know,it has the largest number of American retirees outside the USA. I'll make a generalization now-generally elderly folks make "easy targets" and if you google it,crime against them is lower than against Mexican nationals. Drug gangs there are indeed dangerous and don't affect the daily life of the vast majority of the country. Your common misconceptions are understood and easily explainable.
> As an aside,I've visited 40 countries and 48 states and it has given me a wide perspective on life outside what most consider life as "safe" in this country. I have visited countless times aside from living there and if it was as bad as your perception,I would not have done so. People in Mexico are very warm,the cost of living is far better than here and the climate agrees with many,so it is attractive to many retirees and visitors.


My son when he was 20 visited Cancun and he was a bar and and a fellow American man got lured outside of the bar by local girls and he got mugged and stole his money and id. I realize that stuff happens here as well. I just feel like my safety is more important than the visit. I get it’s a pretty unpopular view. I saw pics they are beautiful.


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## karmatourer (Jul 6, 2018)

IndyDiesel said:


> My son when he was 20 visited Cancun and he was a bar and and a fellow American man got lured outside of the bar by local girls and he got mugged and stole his money and id. I realize that stuff happens here as well. I just feel like my safety is more important than the visit. I get it’s a pretty unpopular view. I saw pics they are beautiful.


I understand where you're coming from. It's not for everyone. I took my last wife to a Club Med in Huatulco for our honeymoon and she didn't like it after just 1 night. (No,it wasn't my performance or lack thereof!). I had been to that particular Club Med 3x before and it was the nicest one I had visited. So,off to the small Huatulco airport for a 25 minute ride at 80+ mph in a taxi to make the flight to Dallas,Orlando and our eventual destination,a Club Med in Nassau all in 1 day.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Good for Mexico. While I think small diesels are on the way out it's good to know diesel fuel is being cleaned up in the meantime.


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## karmatourer (Jul 6, 2018)

obermd said:


> Good for Mexico. While I think small diesels are on the way out it's good to know diesel fuel is being cleaned up in the meantime.


Indeed. As you know,diesels are far more popular outside the USA. In Mexico an specifically Baja,diesels are VERY popular. Until recently,you could not buy ULSD more than half way down the peninsula,with the exception of large cities La Paz and Cabo,I believe past Villa Jesus Maria.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

karmatourer said:


> Indeed. As you know,diesels are far more popular outside the USA. In Mexico an specifically Baja,diesels are VERY popular. Until recently,you could not buy ULSD more than half way down the peninsula,with the exception of large cities La Paz and Cabo,I believe past Villa Jesus Maria.


I know small engine diesels are far more popular outside the US, but with the second largest market (Europe) for them basically doing a political about face with regards to diesels they are definitely on the decline.


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## karmatourer (Jul 6, 2018)

obermd said:


> I know small engine diesels are far more popular outside the US, but with the second largest market (Europe) for them basically doing a political about face with regards to diesels they are definitely on the decline.


Mazda is finally offering their new diesel here for 2019 which is already EPA approved and in the final stage of CARB approval and diesels will be options for 3 other manufacturers models in 2019.Good news on our shores.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

What do refineries do with all the sulfur they remove from oil? It's got to go somewhere.


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## karmatourer (Jul 6, 2018)

Barry Allen said:


> What do refineries do with all the sulfur they remove from oil? It's got to go somewhere.


I googled your exact question:
*Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is a catalytic chemical process widely used to remove sulfur (S) from natural gas and from refined petroleum products, such as gasoline or petrol, jet fuel, kerosene, diesel fuel, and fuel oils.[SUP][1][/SUP][SUP][2][/SUP] The purpose of removing the sulfur, and creating products such as ultra-low-sulfur diesel, is to reduce the sulfur dioxide (SO
[SUB]2[/SUB]​) emissions that result from using those fuels in automotive vehicles, aircraft, railroad locomotives, ships, gas or oil burning power plants, residential and industrial furnaces, and other forms of fuel combustion.**Another important reason for removing sulfur from the naphtha streams within a petroleum refinery is that sulfur, even in extremely low concentrations, poisons the noble metal catalysts (platinum and rhenium) in the catalytic reforming units that are subsequently used to upgrade the octane rating of the naphtha streams.**The industrial hydrodesulfurization processes include facilities for the capture and removal of the resulting hydrogen sulfide (H
[SUB]2[/SUB]​S) gas. In petroleum refineries, the hydrogen sulfide gas is then subsequently converted into byproduct elemental sulfur or sulfuric acid (H
[SUB]2[/SUB]​SO
[SUB]4[/SUB]​). In fact, the vast majority of the 64,000,000 metric tons of sulfur produced worldwide in 2005 was byproduct sulfur from refineries and other hydrocarbon processing plants.[SUP][3][/SUP][SUP][4][/SUP]**An HDS unit in the petroleum refining industry is also often referred to as a hydrotreater.

I had no idea either.
*​


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

karmatourer said:


> *In fact, the vast majority of the 64,000,000 metric tons of sulfur produced worldwide in 2005 was byproduct sulfur from refineries and other hydrocarbon processing plants.[SUP][3][/SUP][SUP][4][/SUP]**An HDS unit in the petroleum refining industry is also often referred to as a hydrotreater.*


Alright, so basically we closed down just about every sulphur mine on Earth because we get plenty from the crude oil we refine? That's probably not a bad plan at all.


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