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Crossing border in a Mexican rental vehicle

1K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Longford 
#1 ·
I am thinking about renting a small van in Guadalajara, driving it to the US to pick up some stuff, then returning. The rental company tells me it is okay with them to cross the border with their vehicle.

Will I run into any problems with either US or Mexican immigration at the border either going or coming? What about insurance? The company, Sixt, provides rentals in both countries.

Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks.
 
#6 ·
I did make the trip. I rented a van in Guadalajara, drove to the Denver area, loaded the van, then returned to Guadalajara. I had no problem crossing the border in either direction. No one looked at the paperwork on the van which had Mexican plates obviously. Coming into Mexico with the van loaded, we crossed at Ciudad Juarez about midnight. Some bored Mexican border guards shined a flashlight around inside for about a minute, opened the side door, looked in the top of a couple of boxes, then sent us on our way.

In hind sight I realized I was without insurance for the US part of the trip. I paid for full coverage, but it only worked in Mexico. Fortunately, I had no problems with the van on the US side. I did have a flat tire on the way back just south of Ciudad Juarez. The rental company reimbursed me for that expense. My credit card supposedly provides insurance for rental vehicles, but I was glad I did not have to test that.
 
#8 ·
Credit card auto rental coverage is, in most instances, secondary ... not primary coverage (coverage can and does vary by level of credit card someone has). If you own a vehicle then your personal vehicle policy, even if you're driving a rental car, prevails ... from what I understand. Also, the coverage afforded by most credit cards is for collision damage and it excludes liability coverage. The rental car companies want to protect their investment, their vehicle ... and they don't much care about personal liability claims against a driver. As always, reading the fine print of the credit card benefit statement and the rental agreement will reveal the extent of the coverage/obligations ... and most of us just don't take the time to do that.
 
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