If you walk a block behind our shop at Shore Drive Shell, you’re on the beach. Walk a mile to the east from there and you’ll be very close to the spot where John Smith and his followers first set foot on dry land after what must have been a harrowing trip across the Atlantic. No matter how long you had been at sea, it must have been scary to face a land composed of sand dunes, beach grass and wind-bent trees. Maps that were produced later refer to this area as “the desert.” So, like the nearby state park, we adopted the name First Landing to honor the courage of those first settlers.

Today, the desert has, of course, been tamed.  A walk through the state park will give you an inkling of the daunting real estate that Smith and his team faced, but something is missing – sand.  Lots and lots of sand.  Cape Henry used to be home to huge dunes that I’m told rivaled Kitty Hawk and that sand was viewed as a resource to be exploited, so a train track was built on what is now the bike path and the sand was carted away.  When the sand was depleted in one spot, bulldozers would push the track to the next spot and load more sand.  A gentleman who worked the project in his youth quipped that the sand was” spread between here and Ohio a quarter of an inch thick.”

Life was tough for those “first landers,” but they persisted and settled Virginia.  We are proud to  commemorate their struggle and their courage.

The timing belt controls the interaction between dozens of parts in the engine.  The engine is spinning at thousands of revolutions per minute and the timing belt makes the valves open and close at the right time to get air and fuel in and exhaust out. On a non-interference engine, when these operations are interrupted  by a broken timing belt, the car just stops.  inconvenient, but not tragic.  When the belt breaks on an interference engine, you might wnat to duck!  Metal hits metal as intake and exhaust valves strike pistons, with less than desirable results.  We’re talking new engine here.

Manufacturers recommend timing belt change intervals of 60-120,000 miles.  We can tell you exactly what your car’s manufacturer recommends.  Time also takes a toll on timing belts.  Most manufacturers say max ten years on the belt.  So even if you don’t drive a lot, you might need a new belt.

Right now, Jason is working on a Mitsubishi that went 130,000 miles before the belt wore out and left the owner stranded.  Looks like the engine will be okay, but why take the chance?  We install the highest quality components and guarantee the job for 12 months/12,000 miles – and you keep on driving!  Call Chris or Stephanie now and find out if it’s time for a new belt.

• A very simple online application process.
• You can only use it at participating NAPA Autocare centers.
• On charges greater than $299 there is no interest or fees if paid off in six months.
• When you use it, your warranty on parts and labor is doubled to 24 months/24,000 miles.

So, let’s say you don’t need to spread your payments out over six months.  Get the card, use it to pay for your service, pay it off right away and you still get the extended warranty!