Cheaper Mexican diesel compliant with ultra-low sulfur needs

  Filling up with diesel south of the border sounds like a good idea because it's cheaper and especially since it goes hand in hand with your vehicle that functions solely on ultra low sulfur diesel.

  Six Mexican border states, including Sonora and Baja California, carry ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD). But motorists shouldn't go too deep south of the border because service stations in the rest of the country aren't scheduled to carry ULSD fuel until 2009, said Margot Perez-Sullivan, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spokeswoman at the San Francisco office.

  She also notes that not every single service station sells diesel. Those stations beyond the border region currently have low-sulfur diesel, which can ruin the engine that runs on ULSD.

  Service managers at dealerships don't recommend owners fill up their 2007 and newer compliant vehicle with any other type of diesel other than ULSD.

  "It can clog up the filters, gum up the engine and void their warranty," said Frieda Wilkey, service manager at Alexander Ford in Yuma. And they will know if you used Mexican diesel (or regular diesel) when they check your engine, she said.

  "With prices as they are right now I can't blame them, but you have to go by the book," Wilkey said.

  But they haven't seen any owners coming into the dealership with a damaged engine yet, she said.

  Since 2007, Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), Mexico's state-owned petroleum company, has carried ultra-low sulfur diesel in gas stations in the United States border region, according to EPA.

  ULSD is currently available in Sonora, Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. The EPA mandated the use of ULSD on diesel powered engines model year 2007 and newer that are equipped with the advanced emission control system. The purpose is to reduce emissions of oxide of nitrogen and particulate matter coming out from diesel vehicles that harm the environment, according to EPA.

   ULSD is diesel fuel with lower sulfur contents that must be used with engines that have the lower emissions technology installed. The allowable sulfur content for ULSD is 15 ppm (part per million), which is scheduled to replace the low-sulfur diesel that contains 500 ppm.

  Federal regulations require that diesel pumps carry a label to specify the type of diesel fuel is being dispensed at the pump. The pumps that contain  ULSD at Mexican service stations should have a label that reads UBA (ultra bajo azufre).

  EPA has sent a staff to random cities in Mexico, such as Mexicali, Baja Calif., to test the diesel fuel and make sure the service stations are distributing ULSD. She notes that some service stations do contain traces of the old diesel because it's slowly being replaced with ULSD. 

---

Stephanie Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@6847.