I have a TIP (Temporary Import Permit) for Aegir-Ran which in principle lets me import replacement parts duty-free. However, every time I cross the border and show the paperwork, the import officials do not seem to know anything about the permit. Naturally, I was concerned about importing a new/expensive engine, so I collected advice from many fellow sailors regarding the process. Unfortunately, I obtained conflicting advice, especially with respect to whether I would need to remove the old engine from Mexico. S/V Pono imported a engine two years ago, so I followed their recommendation.
Since I traded my Westerbeke 35C for labor, the diesel mechanic gave me a dead Yanmar engine to take across the border. I figured this would work because my TIP does not actually list the make of the engine. It does list the serial number, but I took a chance that the officials would not look too closely. As it turned out, that was the case.
The trip to the US was quite an adventure. I borrowed a 1995 Dodge Dakota pickup. About 50 miles from the border, the idle pulley bearings failed, throwing the serpentine belt, which slammed into one of the water hoses, cracking the radiator. I got a ride to the nearest Autozone, got a new pulley, and installed it on the road. However, I did not have the tools to replace the radiator. I limped to the border a few miles at a time, stopping to refill the radiator. On the way, I stopped at the Banjercito, which is located just south of Nogalas (Carretera Nogalas-Hermosillo KM 21, 84107 Nogalas). Parking to the north of the group of building, I walked through the building to the back, where the Banjercito was located. After showing Aegir-Ran’s TIP, I requested two forms that are called “Registro de importacion temporal.” One form is for export of the old engine and the other for import of the new engine (shown below).
The only difference between the two forms is the export form lists the serial number for the old engine and “Sestitucion” is checked whereas the other form lists the new engine and “Integracion” is checked (circled on the form. The official at the Banjercito did not want to see the old engine.
I limped across the border. Fortunately, there wasn’t a line at 6:00 PM on a Friday going north (although there was a huge line going south). The US Border Agent did not believe my story about the old engine in the truck bed, so I had to have the truck X-rayed. Fortunately, that did not take too long. Once I crossed the border, I contacted a radiator shop to make an appointment in the morning and I got a room a mile away from the shop at a Motel 6 in Nogalas. In the morning, I took the truck to the shop. They worked all day on the truck and eventually had to order a new radiator from Tucson. Finishing the work about 6:00 PM, I drove to Tucson.
The next morning, I dropped the old engine off at a recycling center (I got $25 for the 450 lbs of steel) and I went to the freight company where they loaded the new engine with a forklift.
The next day I drove to San Carloes. The customs agent wanted to see both forms I had obtained from the Banjercito, and then passed me through.
I had no further problems with the truck. When I arrived, the engine was removed from the bed of the truck and placed next to Aegir-Ran. I have a few weeks of work to do in the engine room before I will be ready to install the engine.
