My fun day off!

So after hearing that June 30th was the last day to pay tenencias on cars (to avoid paying interest) we decided we would do that yesterday morning before going to spend a nice relaxing afternoon on the beach!
My husband went first and left me at home doing stuff, he arrived about 11.45am and there was a massive queue, I am talking massive!
I arrived after about an hour and joined the queue with him and then left to open his business at 1pm. I arrived back with sandwiches (could see we were in for the long haul) at 1.40pm. The queue had advanced a bit and hubby now had a ticket with 43 written on it. As the last person can go in at 2.30pm they had to limit new people arriving. We were told that number 17 was at the front of the queue.
We were queued up against the various businesses and restaurants that are next door to the tenencia offices (which must be annoying for them, not to mention the ignorant people throwing their drink bottles on the ground). There was a bit of shade but as 3pm came around the shaded area started getting smaller and smaller. Finally we waited over an hour in the hot sun. There were about 5 chairs outside the office for those lucky people who got near the door.

So, finally at I think 4pm hubby gets let in and he gets to join the indoor queue but with chairs and aircon. They would only let one person in (the person who has the paperwork) which is fair enough. So I went back home to change and sit in the air con.

Hubby gets out at 5.30pm with our new plates and $7400 pesos lighter in pocket.

I am assuming this process is the same as UK car tax - ie go to your local post office, have the option to pat 6 months or a year and then stick a nice coloured disk in the corner of your windscreen.

Why oh why do we have to change plates, pay a fortune and queue for hours, losing a whole day - and for what - so our roads are repaired ?

So much for my afternoon at the beach, but I did get a bit of a suntan standing in the queue!

 

Tenencias

Wow.That really sounds like a bad day hey? Every new federal government in all Mexico makes everyone change plates. That is one tax, plus the famous Tenencia tax, that was created back in 1968 in order for the country to make enough money to finance the Olympics Mexico 68.
Then the tax stayed.Many and a lot of Mexican people have tried to revoque this taxes that are very high just for owning or buying a car, the newer the car the more it costs, the older the car it becomes cheaper every year. This yearly tax has to be paid before March 31st wich is when the "multas" start kicking in. Every 4 to 6 years the plates need to be changed also. This year they had a 50%discount promotion if you paid before march 31st. When I went there was hardly anyone there, one of the cars we did not pay "tenecia" in several years so they cut a deal, it was half past 8am when they opened and there were only 4 people 3 trying to get the quotation they give and myself paying the taxes and plates.The whole thing took about 10 minutes, but I had to come back to get my plates 10 days later, because (tipical)They did not have any!
I was impressed by how fast and organized it all was, when I was expecting the worst. Of course, it is important to say I did it on November of 06.
In January I went with a co-worker and it was a long line but we took about 1 hour.
I guess if you pay early you dont get "multas" and waste the day.

 

:lol: I guess that was your nice way of saying, you got what you deserved for not paying on time.
But like one of the other posts earlier, this forum is somewhat about ranting about things that piss you off.
We knew we had to pay before but what with getting married this year and someone vandalising our car, other payments were a priority.
Thanks for the advice, we shall try to pay on time next year.

 

Yes, Jen, you can rant... with the purpose of getting advice when possible.

They change the plates every 6 years when there is a new president (and it is the only way for them to know you have paid the tenancias).

For this tramite, guess what.... you theorically can do it online. If they have your address, they send you the quotation at home. For whatever reason they didn't have mine (after 6 years living here!), so I went there, early in Feb, but instead of lining up, I went to the window where you get kind of receipt if you have paid at the bank. Almost nobody. I got the info without any problem. They didn't have my address!!! Hopefully, they have updated it now.

I tried to do the tramite online... of course it didn't work (it is just a test this year). So I went to pay at the bank (much shorter line), went back to my little window with my bank receipt, then to the big window where you get your new plate info, then I called the number for home delivery for the plates.

Ah, it has changed :evil: so I called the new one. I will pass on the contradictions between Hacienda (yes they have your plates, it is written here) and that delivery company (no, we don't have them yet), for many weeks. Anyway, it is more comfortable than to stay under the sun all day.

I was about to leave for France, so I wanted them before. What will happen if I don't get them... No se senora.... In short, I got them (AT HOME :lol: ) 2 days before my trip. In any case, no more new plates for 6 years!

I would suggest, Jen, that you go check when there is nobody (like October... or right now) if your address is in their computer. So you should receive the quotation at home. And if we are lucky, next year we will be able to do it online. I know, Drew, you refuse that but I take the risk against a full day under the sun.

BTW, is it still at the corner of Kabah and Lopez Portillo? I have heard they had moved, but nobody knew where to....

 

Thanks Jen :lol:
The place we went to was just a bit further up from City Club but on the opposite side of the road.
It's right next door to a restaurant with a red signage, (buffet restaurant) I think.
I will definately get hubby to look into the online thing, and make sure we pay earlier next year!

 

For what its worth.... you can drive around for years with expired Mexican plates. I know plenty of people who haven't paid the taxes, as they would likely be more than the value of the car. In the event of transito stopping you, its just a matter of using the "mordida" system to your advantage. Likewise one of my friends has driven his suv around for the past two years without any plates and has only been stopped a handful of times, and it wasn't ever a big deal, so he says.... he is however a Mexican and a business man in his 50's so, he can get away with it better than a 20 or 30 something Gringo could...

The point is, the system here is very different than in the States. In the States or UK the first thing they do when they stop you is call in your info to check for problems, here thats the last thing they want to bother with... so it works both way I guess, the "corrupt" cops that harass tourists/us can also be cheaper and easy than keeping everything legal and up to date.... but the stress factor alone would make me want to have everything in order... /rant

 

I guess you could be right, but then in our case the car's not even a year old and after two years we'll want to sell it on (possible back to Ford) and there's no way they would accept it without up to date tenencias. I wouldn't buy a car which didn't have them either.
But I guess with an older car the majority don't have them. I think once a car reaches a certain amount of years, they aren't even needed.

 

hey jen.

my car is registered in the usa and my annual cost is like $25 usd. do you have to pay $7,400 mxn every year or every six years. if 6, why are you paying on such a new car.

thanks,
t.j.

 

Did not mean to say anyone would ever deserve to go through what you folks did.
But whatever you do, do not sell your car back to ford, the dealerships always make it seem they will give you the highest bid for the car you are just buying from them and even when you are selling it to them you get to know after the deal that it was not as high. If you plan to change it and you are doing payments then its ok, but if you paid cash for it, sell it privately.You will for sure get more money for your car than the dealer.
Hey, at least you paid, there are so very many people that do not care, but in a way they may be right.
But if your plan is upgrading, pay every year.