For Virginia Beach's city mechanics, summer work rolls in

VIRGINIA BEACH

By 3:30 on a recent weekday, Mike Swan was starting on car No. 6.

The first four had needed oil changes and safety inspections. The floorboard of the fifth was soaked after rain seeped around the windshield the night before.

Swan unbolted seats, pulled the carpet back and ripped out sopping matting. Then he parked the car in the sun and picked up No. 6, a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria with about 80,000 miles and two worn tires. As he tried to wrench one of them free, a wheel stud broke inside a lug nut.

"This one's not getting out of here today," he said, shaking his head.

Like most other Virginia Beach departments, summer is the busy season for the city's automotive services division. Heat puts additional strain on engines, and the influx of tourists requires more city employees on the road. All of that adds up to busy days at the city's sprawling complex of garages on Leroy Road.

Inside the light-duty garage, where the bulk of the city's 3,814-strong fleet is maintained, Swan and 13 other mechanics work on an average of 75 cars, pickups and SUVs a day. Few - if any - see "light-duty" driving.

Police patrol cars come through most frequently because the majority are driven three shifts per day, seven days per week. That puts their engines, transmissions and other systems under intense pressure, said Reggie Padgett, administrator for Virginia Beach's automotive services division.

To save money, body repair work is no longer done on site, Padgett said, and the Police Department's base-priced $22,275 Crown Victoria patrol cars are outfitted with thousands of dollars worth of equipment before they even arrive in Virginia Beach, he said.

Patrol cars remain in the fleet for just four years, and about 125,000 miles, Padgett said.

Some might have to last a little longer, though. City leaders looking to economize this year slashed $1.6 million out of requested fleet replacement funds - which covered dozens of new vehicles, including 25 for police use, Padgett said.

"They're still going to be able to deliver the same," he said of the officers. "They're just going to be delivering with older cars."

Officials are developing policies to curb fuel usage, but their plans will have little effect on police operations, Padgett said.

Meanwhile, city mechanics such as Swan spend their time inspecting patrol cars and other vehicles in the fleet.

"These vehicles are really getting scrutinized," Padgett said.

"You've got to make sure everything is right."

Shawn Day, (757) 222-5131, shawn.day@pilotonline.com