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It’s a good question! We have answers. Tread Depth This is just what it sounds like. The depth (or height depending on your perspective) of rubber poking out of the the tire surface above the tire casing. Essentially, we get tread depth by measuring the deepest groove in a tire. Tread depth can be measured […]

Perhaps the oldest analytical devices humans have, curiosity and empathy are still the quickest, most effective methods we have in problem solving and in providing great care.

If I had one hour to save the world, I would spend 55 minutes defining the problem and five minutes finding the solution. Albert Einstein Einstein had it so right. Thoroughly understanding a problem is what builds a framework for the solution. Once we have illustrated problems in full color and from all angles, the […]

Almost none of the stuff we depend on is specifically designed for our climate. We usually have to DIY something to make it Fairbanks-durable. At METRO, we make it our business to design ways to care for cars so they perform and last. One of these designs is the mid-winter oil change and inspection.  Regardless […]

Why Do Winter Engine Heaters Need Routine Maintenance? Winter engine heaters are not stock. Vehicle manufacturers do not install engine heaters or even present the option to buyers. The most these manufacturers do to prepare mechanically for northern climates is to provide a receptacle on the engine that can receive an element style heater.  There […]

Dinner at Grandma’s, the Christmas presentation at your kid’s school, holiday shopping, ice skating, and about four other dinners… There’s no shortage of places to go, people to see and things to do this holiday season. If it weren’t so cold, you’d probably be burning up the road! But as you go on your merry […]

You’re probably all too familiar with that sinking feeling you get when you hop in your car, ready to go, you turn the key and, instead of the roar (or hum) of your engine, you hear that daunting “click-click-click!” That’s probably a dead battery, which means you either need a jump, some maintenance or a […]

Some vehicle maintenance is obvious. You change your tires depending on the season and keep them rotated to get the best wear out of them. But maintaining your vehicle’s fluids may not be as obvious – both in what purpose fluid serves and in knowing what needs to be monitored.   In this blog, we’ll go […]

This is the perfect time to check through your Winter Emergency Car kit to make sure it’s still in-tact following a summer of packing and unpacking your car.  Between the eleven of us here at METRO, we have spent most of our lives in Alaska’s Interior. We’ve had our share of going in the ditch […]

A car AC unit and heater are not independent systems like you would think. In theory their separation stands to reason. Since when is a fridge integral to your wood stove cranking out heat? It makes sense that systems so different in purpose would have little overlap in design.  Climate Control, not Heat + Air […]