How much does it cost to maintain a car in Mexico?
Oscar Hererra - SimplePay
In Mexico, the basic maintenance of a car, including car wash, tires, tune-ups, etc. would be around US $30 to $40 a month. The cost would depend on how old the car is but an average newer car, a 2005 to 2010 make or newer, for example, would not have a lot of tune-up issues. For those kinds of cars, you would generally do a yearly tune-up, which would cost around $100 to $150 per year. Compared to maintaining a car in San Diego, the cost would be about half in...
In Mexico, the basic maintenance of a car, including car wash, tires, tune-ups, etc. would be around US $30 to $40 a month. The cost would depend on how old the car is but an average newer car, a 2005 to 2010 make or newer, for example, would not have a lot of tune-up issues. For those kinds of cars, you would generally do a yearly tune-up, which would cost around $100 to $150 per year. Compared to maintaining a car in San Diego, the cost would be about half in Mexico. A mechanic in San Diego has to earn three or four times as much than a mechanic in Mexico. Car parts in Mexico are a little more expensive than in the States but labor is cheaper. Tires might even be a little bit cheaper in the US than in Mexico. The cost of labor-intensive services, such as tune-ups, engine rebuilds, or if you need brakes are substantially less in Mexico than in the US because the labor cost is substantially less in Mexico than in the US. As an example, I have a BMW 1987 Classic here in Baja with me. I just rebuilt its engine and put in all new gaskets, so basically everything is new. The labor cost was 3,000 pesos, which is $187. If I had that done in the US, it would cost around $2,000.
(Design Week Mexico, featuring the BMXi3, pictured.)
Posted November 4, 2015
Flip Nicholson - Fenix Real estate
To determine how much it costs to maintain a car in Mexico, I’d have to divide it into parts and labor. For example, I buy the oil and oil filter at AutoZone (we have an AutoZone here, and it’s just like the US) and it costs the same as in the United States, or sometimes less because they package it. I take the oil and the filter to my mechanic, and he changes it for 50 pesos ($2.50.) I don’t get the oil in my fingernails, or figure out where to put the oil, or crawl...To determine how much it costs to maintain a car in Mexico, I’d have to divide it into parts and labor. For example, I buy the oil and oil filter at AutoZone (we have an AutoZone here, and it’s just like the US) and it costs the same as in the United States, or sometimes less because they package it. I take the oil and the filter to my mechanic, and he changes it for 50 pesos ($2.50.) I don’t get the oil in my fingernails, or figure out where to put the oil, or crawl under my truck, it’s done in 30 minutes, and the mechanic brings it back to me. Maintenance is pretty good. When you get a new set of tires, it costs close to nothing to get them put on, really. They only charge you for the cost of the tires. I try to buy my tires up north whenever I can. For instance, if I have to go to Texas for a trip, I make it a point to buy tires there because it costs less since the import tax on tires in Mexico is atrocious. There’s Michelin here in Mexico, but the price is higher than in the US. I’ve got big tires in my truck- 22 inches. I priced my tires when I was in Guadalajara the other day, and they cost 4,000 pesos ($190) each. In the US, these tires cost around $150. The cost here in Mexico getting better.
I also always try to buy tires for my motorcycle up north because we don’t have near the selection here, unlike in vehicles where you have Michelin and Goodyear. I’ve been running BF Goodrich on all my vehicles for a long time because they’re good quality tires.
When tires are made for Mexico, the sidewall is thicker than it is in the US. Have you ever driven on the roads of Chapala? That’s why. There are some things you want to buy in Mexico because they’re built for Mexican roads. In the United States, you can get Michelin tires with real thin sidewalls that ride so smooth. Of course, those tires won’t last a year in Chapala. They’ll blow out in the sidewall because you’ll get a pothole, or you’ll go over a tope (speed bump), and all of a sudden, you think, “Oh my God! Shocks! Front end!”
I live on this mountain here, and I go up and down the cobblestone roads every day, so I go through shocks faster than I would if I lived in the US because it’s a little tougher on my suspension here. That’s why I’ve got a big heavy-duty truck; because it lasts longer. What do you see driving around town? SUV’s. You see some of these other real fine automobiles but you know what it’s like. You just look at them and think “those drivers are new in town, and they brought their car with them” They come out with a really nice car. Around here, you have to think about where you’re living. It’s just like if you lived in Colorado where I’m from, you’re going to drive an SUV with a 4-wheel drive.
(Ad for Autozone, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted March 5, 2017
Karen Herrtwich - S&S Auto
Typically, you're going to go through repairs on your vehicle 30% more in Mexico than you would back home because of the cobblestone roads. That means you're going to go through shocks, tires, and brake repairs 30% more. Would it matter if driving a truck or a car? Probably not, because your vehicle is still going to absorb all those bumps and potholes. An SUV is far better option than the typical sedan, for those topes and high curbs,...
Typically, you're going to go through repairs on your vehicle 30% more in Mexico than you would back home because of the cobblestone roads. That means you're going to go through shocks, tires, and brake repairs 30% more. Would it matter if driving a truck or a car? Probably not, because your vehicle is still going to absorb all those bumps and potholes. An SUV is far better option than the typical sedan, for those topes and high curbs, but you’re still going have to do repairs quicker than you would in other places.
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(Jet Metier of Best Places in the World to Retire on a typical bumpy cobblestone street in Ajijic, Mexico.)
Posted March 17, 2017