OK. This is not consistent with the theme I promised yesterday -- changes on the beach -- but it is about change for the better.
As a result of my failure to ensure my truck was locked in San Miguel, I ended up losing several items. Most I had already replaced -- or decided to do without. Who needs a thermal sleeping bag in Mexico, any way?
But there were two items that needed attention. The antenna for my Escape and the top portion of the bracket that holds the truck’s battery in place.
The antenna was easy. It was in stock when I stopped at the dealer last Friday. I handed over 370 pesos and the parts guy installed it with a handy little wrench (accessories included).
Not that it much mattered. I use the radio primarily as a CD player. But I now have the power to not listen to the equivalent of Mexican country-western music. We do not get a wide variety of stations here. Searches for Mostly Mozart go unrequited.
The battery bracket was far more important. When I bought my new battery in San Miguel, the shop sold me a bracket that the mechanic described as “good enough.”
You can see what “good enough” means. It was far too long. And instead of being straight, it was bent in two levels. And obviously not for my flat top battery.
As a result, it would rock back and forth loosening the screws. If I had not checked it now and then, it could have loosened enough to pull away from one of the battery cables. Hardly disastrous. But it was annoying.
So, this morning I stopped at the Ford dealer to retrieve my prize for 200 pesos. When I got home, I pulled out my wrenches and did a bit of switching. I now have a battery that will stay in place. Until the next time I forget to lock the truck.
And why am I telling you this? Probably because I have heard a long line of sad tales about bringing vehicles south of the border. The usual anecdotes center around parts never being available and costing the equivalent of a week stay at the Mayo Clinic.
That may have been true once. Since NAFTA came into effect and after Mexico joined WTO, automobile parts flow across the Mexican borders like American retirees. And once the duties were reduced, the costs for parts came down dramatically.
As would be expected in a society where the middle class makes up 40 to 60% of the population -- and where that middle class purchases the same middle class vehicles that are familiar north of the border.
I am glad I no longer drive my red BMW convertible. I would probably have a different tale to tell about parts.
But I would undoubtedly have some far more interesting stories to tell about life.
And why am I telling you this? Probably because I have heard a long line of sad tales about bringing vehicles south of the border. The usual anecdotes center around parts never being available and costing the equivalent of a week stay at the Mayo Clinic.
That may have been true once. Since NAFTA came into effect and after Mexico joined WTO, automobile parts flow across the Mexican borders like American retirees. And once the duties were reduced, the costs for parts came down dramatically.
As would be expected in a society where the middle class makes up 40 to 60% of the population -- and where that middle class purchases the same middle class vehicles that are familiar north of the border.
I am glad I no longer drive my red BMW convertible. I would probably have a different tale to tell about parts.
But I would undoubtedly have some far more interesting stories to tell about life.
