Stopped by TJ police car, this time I fight

[Tyler Durden]

Boy I thought this thread has been beaten to death and yet it keeps coming back for more.

It seems that there are people who are trying to scare those who drive their cars across the border with wrong and inaccurate stories. I said it before and I will say it again. There is nothing wrong with driving in Mexico as long as you are not drunk, in possession of no drugs and have valid insurance(in case of accident). For those who think otherwise, try to tell that to tens of thousands US drivers crossing the border every day. If you get stopped by policia for unfair reasons, the blame should be placed on the cops, not the drivers. If you got mugged by thugs in LA, you can't say "Told you not to go to LA," the blame should be on those thugs.

And those who post non-factual myths, stop posting bullshits. It was hilarious that this guy said whether you have Mexican insurance or not it's always your fault because you are a gringo.

 

[Jesse S]

Great answer Amigomio you'll often find these one sided debates on this sex forums how bad it is in Mexico. How the hell could an insurance company get a vin number wrong? You give them the vin number and the make and model of the car pops up. I would be pissed at the insurance company for insuring the wrong car, and I certainly wouldn't pay $1000 dollars to a TJ cop if I was insured with Mexican insurance.

For $1000 dollars it's ok Mr TJ policeman lets go see the judge and see if we could straighten this out and call my insurance company. The TJ police aren't the judge and jury they can say whatever they want. The US cops say crap too like you guily and write police reports that don't go your way....so what fuck em, let the insurance company deal with it.

 

[D00M- m]

Excuse me Ken, if the insurance was done wrong, it is not valid.
Same would happen to me if I drove as a Mexican into the US with an invalid insurance.
Don't you think so?

And this is bs: "If you do get in an accident with a Mexican, expect to be named at fault whether you were or not. A friend of mine had Mexican insurance, got hit by a Mexican, yet he was blamed because he was the gringo."

If the insurance is a valid one, the insurance company will not stand like an idiot accepting responsability. Almost all the insurance companies in Mexico are afiliates or part of major American insurance companies.

If you are not carrying a valid insurance you take part of the responsability cause it is law to carry minimum protection in case of an accident.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Any U.S. automobile insurer that covers you within a radius of the border will usually suggest that you additionally purchase Mexican insurance because the Mexicans will not recognize the U.S. policy. Short term policies are available from the U.S. Autoclub (AAA) for about $10 per day. They also have weekly and monthly rates that are more economical if you plan frequent trips or longer stays in Mexico.

If you do get in an accident with a Mexican, expect to be named at fault whether you were or not. A friend of mine had Mexican insurance, got hit by a Mexican, yet he was blamed because he was the gringo. The policia found that his Mexican insurance card had an error (wrong VIN #) and they demanded cash (like about $1000) or threatened jail. My friend was forced to pay up and vowed never again to drive his own car down there...

 

[cdh77477]

DariusX, our advice/ "preaching" was meant for more newbies and it is "guidelines" not a must do kind of thing. In your case, good for you that you are regular and are very familiar with the routine. Perhaps I would do the same if I were a regular living near the border and having a sentri pass because of the conveninece, I admit it can be a pain parking the car, walking across taking a taxi and reversing that on way back. But if we are involved with more than a fender bender in Mexico,we might revise our opinion

 

[catx]

I drive all the time in TJ and haven't had any real problems. I like to drive because it is faster and cheaper than walking and cabbing. I have a SENTRI pass and on a weeknight I can get from the Leyva parking lot to the 805 in less than 20 minutes. I've had to learn to drive in TJ and deal with the cops (see my previous post) but for me it is worth it. I've had to deal with the cops while walking too.

If you like to cab and walk, fine, but I think telling people what they can and can't do is a little preachy. That is what the government is for.

 

[Abs]

Pocodinero, Thanks again, yours was the definitive post about Insurance implications while driving in Mexico. Anyone needing the info should just scroll down this thread

 

[Dizzy Dame]

Geez Pev , thought this matter was put to bed a while back and now you are stiring up the pot.

Walk into TJ is an excellent idea if your hitting the Zona even then you will run the gauntlet of TJ's finest( joke ); bad idea if you wish to drive around it to Playas, Rosarita, Ensenada and points south. It appears by your post that many a old retiree are more " balsey " then you. For one who wishes to get correct information out, there certainly is a lot of misdirection / falsehoods in your post and might be beneficial if you limited your suggestions to Americans driving in the Zona with Calif licensed plates and for the most part after sundown and before sun up.

Since it appears that if/when you frequent the Zona you walk what could you possibly know about driving inside or outside the zona , insurance or border crossing in a car.

 

[vinnyhonn]

Worldperv, No sweat, you are right in bringing it up for sometimes people make it sound trivial. Its just that these are big hitters and certainly avoidable

 

[Elizabeth]

Sorry to come across harshly I didnt mean to but I dont want some poor first timer to read these posts and think its a good idea to drive across and wind up with a lot more then he bargained for. Some people read these posts and do exactly as written which in this case if you dont speak spanish and have never been to TJ before you could find a fair amount of trouble without meaning to. Just beacuse you and a bud wanted to have a little fun. Have fun but be careful it is a foreign country after all

 

[hunk110]

Worldperv you have put it rather harshly, but I do exactly as you suggested Driving in a US registered car after midnight near zona is asking for trouble and besides the insurance topic has been well covered by another gentleman on this thread

 

[Spot]

You dont need insurance in mexico but if you think your us insurance willcover you good luck. it dosent matter 70 miles or not if you have an accident and cant furnish a US accident report from one of our 50 states or guam or puerto rico your SOL it wont cover you. I cant recomend enough park and walk over and take a taxi. You may think your balsy standing up to crooked TJ cops but your asking for trouble long term. Also the customs people have every right when your coming back in this country to tear your car apart. theyre keeping us safe from idiots. If you drive over to TJ that is as stupid as banging one of the chicks bareback and you deserve any shit you get whether its the clap or rousted by police. even though the cops can be assholes remember how many drunk americans they see in a week. then youll realize why they scam because they can. quote anything you want but if they see a us plate on a vehicle thats like an instant lottery ticket waiting to be scratched especially at 3 am in the morning

 

[Lotus]

Poco dinero, that was mucho help on this insurance thing. Even though I don't venture out too much outside of TJ, I'd better get some coverage just in case. I don't think mexican jail is a nice place to spend few days.

 

[Sean L]

Pocodinero...thank you. That was helpful.

 

[Spenny]

Burt2020. will be happy to assit.

As for who is better vs worse thats hard to pin point. The Calif DOI ( Dept of Ins ) does not tract Mex carriers unfortunately. Filed a complaint on a carrier who insured a 3 day cross over last year and bought a policy just south of crossing over. The DOI could not and would not get involved even after informing them of my 30 years of service to the public welfare. What was worse they had no concern in American citizen(s) and it was no concern to them as to whether it was the insured or a claimant. Really pissed me off as I could see many places a purchaser or claimant in good faith could get screw in bad faith. But that's a whole different problem and doesn't answer your questions.

One of the main things to avoid in my opinion is buying it in Mexico. Get it in Calif, issued by licensed Calif agent(s) acting as GA's ( general agent ) for the Mexican Underwriter. By doing so you always have the GA to vent on and don't have to waste time dealing with Mexican agents .

The most convient place to shop coverage and get insured is on line...
www.mexpro.com will get that done for you. It's U S based, they represent 5 or 6 carriers some American Insurers with Mexican affiliations ; i.e.; GMAC and Zurich. Shop your coverage pick your plan and you can get a Cert with the push of " print " button . By going on line you will also limit the fees charged by a person to person transaction

A suggestion to keep your premiums down is , if given the option limit your territory to Baja. If down the line you want to travel to Mex main endorse it on for a short time and be done with it.

I personally use a GA known as ; Sun Coast General out of Laguna Hills, CA. Sorry don't have web address but a search will pull them up. They write for Seguros Commercial America. Coverage is $ 100,000 (CSL), Med @ $4,000 per person/max $20,000, no physical damage. This is Plan "A " which is all of Baja ( Norte & Sur ) , it is 12 months and there are no restrictions as to a set number of days at any one time

I errored on my original post. After pulling the dec I see my AP is $ 95.00 wich includes a $ 25.00 PF. Again, does not include physical damage.

Hope this helps

 

[-- Question Girl --]

That's a much better rate than I've found. Perhaps you could help us with additional information on topics such as:
--Where to go (company, agents, etc.) for good rates
--Which Mexican insurance companies you think are good at standing behind their policies
--Which Mexican insurance companies are best avoided

Note: I advise adding legal converage to a policy. I definately want an attorney helping me should I have an accident.

 

[Scgf Cnhds]

Pocodinero….Thanks for the post. Your understanding of Mexican law regarding insurance is the same as mine.

 

[Stick]

Yes Poco very good posts with lots of information, and I figured as much, it's not against the law, but don't get in an accident or it could end up your worst nightmare.

I don't know about the rest of you, but if I get involved in an accident and I didn't purchase the Mexican insurance, I'm taking out my wallet, and paying the cop a bribe to look the other way. Hopefully I would have enough cash to pay for the damage of the other car, or have them follow me to an ATM or bank for the rest. Then when I call my insurance company I'm telling them the accident happened in the states, and the other guy fled the scene saying something he didn't want any cops around!

For a long time I was misinformed about my insurance coverage as I asked a few years ago and was told I was covered up to 100 miles in Mexico by my insurance company. They didn't tell me only my car was covered not the other guy in case I hit him.Then when I did buy those polices for a few days they were expensive, but the one year policy are very reasonable.

 

[Blue monk 010]

Poco or Mucho Dinero ! Thanks for a truly well written and comprehensive post about auto insurance in Mexico. It answered many of my questions and gives a good perspective of what not to do. Thank You

 

[bandittt x3]

If I might add my 2 cents to this discussion... Based upon my conversation with a Judge ( Playas ) some 3-4 months ago, my 30 years + as a licensed Calif insurance agent/broker and my personal knowledge of driving in TJ for 10 years;

Couple months ago my wife and I visited the Playas PD to file a hit and run accident report on our parked veh. What a waste and went no where but I did learn something on the Mexican auto insurance matter.

When parking to file this report I parked in the only open space ; as it happened , it was the local judges reserved spot ( it was not posted ) and the judge was waiting for us to leave so he could park; nice guy. After venting some of my frustrations on him I asked him a very direct question;
" Is auto insurance mandatory in Baja " ? His response was " No ". I re-worded the question and asked , " is auto insurance required by Americans when traveling in Baja " ? Again, he replied " NO ". How do I know this was a judge, well he introduced himself as the judge ( same time he advised me I was parked in his space ) and invited us into his very little office/court room. We spent about 10 minutes talking and as I said very nice guy.

From my personal experience of driving down here as an American with Calif lic plates; insurance IS NOT Mandatory ( same is true with Mexicans ), HOWEVER, if you are in an accident and an American you had damn well better have it and produce proof at the scene of the accident if asked. This insurance had better be with a Mexican Underwriter as American Insurers are not recognized here
( Period ).. It matters not if your agent or your policy advises you " your covered up to 75 miles south of the border " it holds no water here in Mexico from a PL/ PD ( liability ) point . May well be favorable from a collision or comp point of view but I'm sure not without a fight.

Bottom line:
Insurance is not required by anyone but Americans are held financially responsible and proof must be readily available before you are allowed to leave intact

If American and involved in an accident without Mexican insurance expect to be home late as down here they do not care about things like comparative/
contributory neglience or the like. If it even smells like you are at fault to a minimal degree and do not have insurance issued by a Mexican carrier you will be detained and your car could be impounded

If you are insured by Mexican carrier it is a requirement of the policy that you do not leave the country until you have filed a accident report with them
( Period )..

As a suggestion ; if you are an individual that wishes to bring a car into Mexico on a semi regular basis there are " Tourist " policies that can be bought for 6 months or one year and will make the inconvience of an immediate insurance need vanish. I have had one for 8 years and cost is only $115.00 ( 12 months ) . It is with a Mexican Insurer and is for $100,000 liability only. Believe some med is thrown in but WTF. Naturally, physical damaged will cost more and depends on the value of the vehicle. Caution on physical damage down here is needed. Most policies only cover total theft.

Another suggestion; Anyone who brings a rental vehicle into Mexico is brain dead unless they read the small print in the rental contract. Even if insurance is purchased at time of rental you may well be responsible for loss of income that stolen or detained vehicle has cost the rental company. Those charges acrue daily