Crossing border at Lukeville with an RV.

Ldcrowder

Junior Member
Hi Everyone!

How is crossing the border with a 36 ft RV towing a jeep? How is it for manuverability?

Also, we have a cat. Where/ how do we stop for that inspection?

Any suggestions for Mexican vehicle insurance fir the rv and jeep?

Thanks so much!
Les
 

VegasDude

Active Member
Not a problem. Used to come through with 40 ft rv , towing a car. Came through with a 33 ft fifth wheel last week.

If they ask, it will usually be for rabies vac. They don't usually ask.

Hit and miss at the border with inspections. We got stopped and inspected. Not a big deal. Don't leave anything laying out of value that you'd like to keep.

Don't speed through sonyota. You will not have a pleasant experience. Cops everywhere last week.

Mexican insurance . Plenty of places. We use these folks http://alejandroportugal.com/contact/.
 

PuroPelicano

Junior Member
I had vaccination papers for my dog but they were only interested in what we had in the back of our truck, they never even saw the dog in the back of our crew cab going into Mexico. Entering the US to go home they checked our ID and ignored the dog. We were subsequently stopped outside Ajo at the border patrol inspection station, and I think they had heat detectors because we were asked to stop and they specifically looked in through the window at the rear of the cab where the dog was. I said I have a little dog back there and he said "we know" and told us to go. My dog craftily slipped out the door one night the first time I took her to Mexico and she ran down to the bottom of the street and joined a pack of local dogs hanging out. The barking was what prompted me to look for her and track her down to the bottom of the street. SInce then I have kept a findster device on her collar, no monthly fee required and you can track her on your cell phone. Perhaps one would be useful for your cat.
 

dirtsurfer

Well Known Member
Forum Supporter
I had vaccination papers for my dog but they were only interested in what we had in the back of our truck, they never even saw the dog in the back of our crew cab going into Mexico. Entering the US to go home they checked our ID and ignored the dog. We were subsequently stopped outside Ajo at the border patrol inspection station, and I think they had heat detectors because we were asked to stop and they specifically looked in through the window at the rear of the cab where the dog was. I said I have a little dog back there and he said "we know" and told us to go. My dog craftily slipped out the door one night the first time I took her to Mexico and she ran down to the bottom of the street and joined a pack of local dogs hanging out. The barking was what prompted me to look for her and track her down to the bottom of the street. SInce then I have kept a findster device on her collar, no monthly fee required and you can track her on your cell phone. Perhaps one would be useful for your cat.
Is findster the name of the product you use?
 

dirtsurfer

Well Known Member
Forum Supporter
No one at the border has paid any attention to our dog for a long time. There is a secondary inspection with military types who may stop you-I call these guys Federales but this forum says they are Marines. The secondary stop militia is very good at grabbing whatever you leave laying around-never leave a wallet, purse or backpack in your vehicle if they ask you to step out. Both checkpoints want to know if you have guns or drugs-go think. Drive slowly through Sonoita-15-20MPH max. The cops in Sonoita are ruthless, cheating, liars and will make anything up to pull you over, then demand exorbitant fines.
 

Ldcrowder

Junior Member
Not a problem. Used to come through with 40 ft rv , towing a car. Came through with a 33 ft fifth wheel last week.

If they ask, it will usually be for rabies vac. They don't usually ask.

Hit and miss at the border with inspections. We got stopped and inspected. Not a big deal. Don't leave anything laying out of value that you'd like to keep.

Don't speed through sonyota. You will not have a pleasant experience. Cops everywhere last week.

Mexican insurance . Plenty of places. We use these folks http://alejandroportugal.com/contact/.
Thanks! Any particular lanes to fit a big rig?
 

VegasDude

Active Member
Mexicans have one lane they open, that's it. Its tight. You'll want to creep through it. If you get a "red light" and get stopped, if there are two of you, one stays with the vehicle while the other gets out and opens whatever they ask. DO NOT leave anything unattended. Follow the guy where ever he/she goes. Unlike US border patrol/customs, the mexicans will usually let you follow them as they inspect. If you make it through the first guys, about 50 yards farther south, smile and waive at the military in camos , unless they step in front of your vehicle, keep driving, don't stop, don't slow down, unless they signal you. If you get stopped, again follow these guys and leave nothing unattended. If you're going to have anything come up missing, these are the guys that will do it.
All of them recently have been asking if you have guns or ammo . Make sure you don't have any cause my buddy got his truck searched. It wasn't an inspection. The camo guy "confiscated" what he said was a knife that was over 4 inches. My buddy, who spanish his pretty good, argued with him but the guy took it anyway.

As you pull away, the usual crowd, one armed guy, wheel chair guy, asking for donations. we usually stop and give them some pesos and a lollipop. Your call.

40K is the speed limit pulling away from the inspection points. We do 30k. Not kidding.

As you leave town, heading towards Rocky point. Another stop sign and Red Cross workers asking for donations. We give them some pesos or us coins ....and a lollipop . Your call.

We counted 7 cops near and around the Red Cross stop sign. Can't stress this enough.
 

PuroPelicano

Junior Member
Is findster the name of the product you use?
Yes, I have no financial interest in the product, but I do recommend it. It needs a daily charge though you can buy several fobs so one is always ready. A set of fobs, one for you and one for the animal is about $150. One attaches to the pet collar, and comes with an item to affix it to the collar which works pretty well. You charge them both on a little cord with a little dock which I think can hold three fobs at a time, also included. You can track multiple pets if they each have their own fob. You download an app on your phone, synch the fobs and put one in your pocket, the other on the collar. If the dog gets away at the gas station, say, you can track the location quite exactly up to ten miles, depending on the terrain. One time in Mazatlan, my husband took the dog for a walk. I could track them from the condo all the way down the malecon. The device uses satellite imaging, so I could see them go into a beer garden and then stop at a taqueria.
 

Ldcrowder

Junior Member
We went and had no problem. The going in checked our passports and registrations and had us pull to the side for in inspection. But was just straight through. He just did a quick look through the rv and jeep. (He did not want to do anything with our FMM "Todo bien".) We went very slow and stopped at all the signs and had no problem.
Coming out the just checked our passports. However coming out made you make 2 nearly right angle turns through the gates. With a 36 foot class A towing a jeep we barely made it. Also they showed their height as 12'6" so we had to lower our 12'7" coach. Do trucks go through there?
 

PuroPelicano

Junior Member
We went and had no problem. The going in checked our passports and registrations and had us pull to the side for in inspection. But was just straight through. He just did a quick look through the rv and jeep. (He did not want to do anything with our FMM "Todo bien".) We went very slow and stopped at all the signs and had no problem.
Coming out the just checked our passports. However coming out made you make 2 nearly right angle turns through the gates. With a 36 foot class A towing a jeep we barely made it. Also they showed their height as 12'6" so we had to lower our 12'7" coach. Do trucks go through there?
If I could ask, have you only gone to Rocky Point with your RV, or have you gone other places in Mexico? I am interested in knowing about RV searches by Mexican authorities. I assume they can look everywhere, but do they give you a hard time about the furnishings you are carrying in the RV? I ask because I have some very fine household goods (bone china, a couple of rugs, crystal, silver tea set. stuff like that) that I want to transport in an RV--we will be doing a menaje de casa to move into Mexico, but I want to carry that stuff with us. I am curious. Thank you.
 
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