My longest post ever: How to register your bus in Mexico.

[Mex-Busnut]

After my long ordeal registering our church skoolie, (See all the gruesome details here: http://www.skoolie.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=6254) I did everything in my power to be prepared in advance for the Glorious Day of Registration of our new 1981 Dina bus.

Documentation, of which I scanned and printed two hi-quality copies, besides having the originals:
  1. My passport (In Mexico, the driver's license is NOT considered "official I.D.")
  2. My Mexican immigration card, as proof of my legal residency in this great nation.
  3. Title deed to the bus.
  4. Title deed to the bus's 6V92TA (repowered in 2003.), issued by the Mexican company that imported it, with the official importation permit number written on it.
  5. Contract from previous owner selling me the bus.
  6. Copy of previous owner's voter registration card (with photo)
  7. Copy of previous owner's federal tourism driver's license
  8. My last water bill, as first proof of residence.
  9. My last electric bill, as second proof of residence.
 10. Photographs showing all four sides of the bus.
 11. Official document showing the bus is no longer in Federal Tourism service, and the federal license plates have been formally turned in.
 12. Copy of my Class B driver's license for this state.
 13. A clean conscience before the good Lord.

So on my first try, I got up bright and early and my friend (who is also one of my welders) Remedios (henceforth Reme) met me at the bus. He took my truck and I the bus, and we drove to the local DMV, which is also the city's convention center, and has a parking area large enough to park a few mother-in laws. The idea was to get there as soon as they opened (9:00 a. m.) and be out as quick as possible.

Well, we were not the first in line. We filled out the required "change of owner" form and awaited our turn. At last, less than an hour later, the much anticipated moment arrived. I walked up to the counter, and handed the Nice Obese Lady (hence NOL) my stuff. "Señor: Have you brought the vehicle with you for our physical inspection?" For some strange reason, her phrase "physical inspection" ignites my nervousness, reminding me of multiple visits to the proctologist before and after my radical "Southern Tonsils" surgery in 2001.

Me: "Si, señora."

NOL: "Where is it, señor?" I pointed a trembling index finger to the behemoth blocking her entire view of the parking lot, and producing large amounts of shade in three surrounding counties.

NOL: "O. K., señor", as she squinted at my digital masterpieces, "But these are not the proper pictures. You have the front and side of your bus in the same picture, and the rear and other side in the other picture. Each side of the bus has to have a separate picture. That is the law!" Shucks. Now I am a criminal! NOL rambles on. "And this receipt for the engine: Where is the receipt from the mechanic who did the installation? How do we know it was done properly, and in a safe manner?" Wow! NOL must have been reading some of the very heated dialogues on that most-awesome bus-related website www.busconversions.com!

Me: "Señora: The installation was done in 2003, and I have no idea who did it. However, the bus was in Federal Tourism service, so I assure you it is in great mechanical condition".

At that moment, a Nice Bespectacled Gentlemen (Señor NBG) walks over next to her behind the counter, and says, "Uhhh, NOL, we do NOT require a receipt from the mechanic, unless the BODY of the vehicle has been modified." Whew, I thought! Am I ever glad my bus's exterior is 100% stock at this moment!

But Señor NBG continues: "You MUST prove that the engine was imported legally into Mexico."

Me: "Señor: The bill of sale for the engine is from a business in Mexico City, and has the importation permit number printed on it."

Señor NBG: "We need a copy of the actual importation permit."

Dejected, I gathered up my pile of paperwork, about as high as one of my clearance lights on my Flxliner-cloned-Dina, and headed back to the welding shop. On the way, friend Reme got suck behind some traffic, and I found myself all alone in this cruel world. A police pickup truck began following me. I am driving through town in a tiny, hard-to-notice vehicle, with no license plates, nor even legal documents, which Reme has in my truck. I send up a vertical breaker to my Boss, and the police truck suddenly speeds up, passes me, and is gone like greased lightning. Whew!

So back to getting registered: What am I going to do? I digested my dire situation for a few hours, almost getting Montezuma's Revenge from it.

Then I had to take July 28 off, because it was a national holiday: My birthday! And my children and grandkids came for the celebration!

The 29th-31st, we had our mid-year church conference, with about 650 in attendance, so I was tied up until the following week.

Then a "Check Engine" light went on in my feeble cerebrum. I took out the title deed to the engine from my stack, and there as clear as day was the phone number for the place! After only five tries, I finally got a human instead of a FAX machine. I asked her what I could do. She said she had no idea. She must have been a Mexican blonde. So I wrote a pleading letter and faxed it, along with the bill of sale for the engine to the business, and in less than an hour they called me back and asked for my email address. Within 30 minutes I had the scanned copy of the importation permit, specifying my engine's serial number (among about a dozen others).

This morning, my carpenter friend Heriberto (henceforth Beto) and I left for the DMV bright and early, now with the confidence of having the proper pictures and paperwork. This time, I only had to wait in line an hour. Then it was my turn with Señor NBG. NOL was watching us suspiciously from afar. Señor NBG looked over everything carefully, and said it was O. K. Wow. Slicker than snot on a glass doorknob! Then he sent me over to Another Bespectacled Gentlemen (ABG), who was to physically check out the bus.

Señor ABG seemed to be in very good spirits, but was clutching his abdomen from time to time. I asked, "Señor, are you O.K.?" Apparently he had eaten too many pork tacos a few days ago, and was suffering from and acute case of Montezuma's Revenge.

We went out to the bus, and Señor ABG asked to see the chassis' serial number. I showed him the draw bar under the front bumper. At first he didn't believe me, but of course, it was very clearly stamped there, in a semicircular fashion. Then Señor ABG asked us to clean it carefully, which we did. Once it dried, Señor ABG took a piece of carbon paper, laid it carbon-side down on top of the draw bar, rubbed it a while, and then took some wide cellophane tape and transferred the serial number to the copy of my title. Now Señor ABG asked to see the body serial number. We went to the back of the bus, (The good Beto had already opened the engine compartment) and in the upper right-hand corner, above the rear starter panel, there it was clearly stamped in the metal, the same number as on the draw bar.

Then the fun started. We had to find serial number on that engine. Now, I had printed out a couple of pages from the web that had drawings showing where it was supposed to be, but even with the map and the GPS, we couldn't find it.

At that moment, Señor ABG had to make an emergency run in overdrive, with full turbo boost to the bathroom. I told Beto, "Take my truck and fly over to the diesel mechanic's shop and bring one of his helpers. On the way back stop at the Oxxo (Mexico's version of 7-11), and get some Vanilla Cappuccino, and a bottle of Pepto Bismol." Beto was off like a herd of turtles, and quickly returned with the coffee, the Pepto and the mechanic's assistant.

Now, this kid was skinny, and in no time flat slithered amongst the various things in between the engine's left side (as seen from rear) and the radiator, and located the serial numbers. These he quickly cleaned up with a wire brush and then some soap and water.

By now, Señor ABG was slowly returning from his trip to make the deposit, and still holding his stomach. Poor guy!

(By the way, did you know diarrhea is hereditary? Yes: It runs in your jeans!)
   

We proudly announced to Señor ABG that the serial number HAD been located. I removed my floor mats from my truck, so Señor ABG would not get dirty. He crawled underneath, and held his stomach again. He yelled out, "Just show me where it is!" The skinny kid showed him, and we asked Señor ABG if he wanted the carbon paper. He replied, "No," slid quickly out, and ran back to the bathroom,under jet propulsion! When he finally came back, he said, "I am in no condition to crawl up there again, but will certify the numbers are correct," which of course, they are. We thanked him, and gave him the bottle of Pepto. He said he had never tried it, took a large gulp of the blessed pink liquid, and said he felt immediate relief. We went back inside, made a few more copies, paid the bill, and left with my license plates in hand!

Only 3.5 hours! Yeah! Thanks be to the good Lord!

[thomasinnv]

Note to self...NEVER EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TITLE AND REGISTER ANYTHING IN MEXICO!!!!

When I registered my bus as an rv in Montana, I filled out 2 forms and sent it all in by mail. Just today I renewed my registration, changing to permanent plates. (never ever have to register again as long as I own it) Did it all over the phone with nothing more than a credit card, all in about 5 minutes.

[desi arnaz]

wonderful story, thank you!

[John316]

Dr. Steve,

Fantastic post!!! You stuck with it, and did a good job. That is quite and accomplishment, and I got a kick out of the whole store. LOL

Enjoy the driving now

God bless,

John

[somewhereinusa]

I will never again complain about Indiana BMV.

[buswarrior]

Excellent report, and thank you for spirited writing!

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[demodriver]

I will never again complain about Indiana BMV.

Agreed. alot of the time in my local dmv it just depends on who you get and there mood.

[chev49]

Great story.   Now after all that being said. Guess how many thousands of vehicles from Copart.com go to Mexico and South America....

[boxcarOkie]

When it comes to DMV (no matter which state or country you live in) the people behind the counter are Brain Dead.

And they wonder why people come in with their registration papers AND an AK-47?

BCO

[Dreamscape]

When we moved to Texas from California back in '03. The gals at the DMV county office couldn't even find our '68 Eagle in their books. Nothing to go by or compare to. They had me go weigh it, got back and was given the registration and plates. It was funny to see the look on their faces when I gave them our VIN #, she said, "Is that all you have?". I said yip, want to see my VIN # plate? "Nope!" 

[bobofthenorth]

I love it - I just bygawd love it.  British Columbia is not much different.  Only they're not the least bit nice about it.