Blog

Winter is almost over, but not quite! Don’t trade out your Roadside Emergency Kit for your ExtraTuffs just yet. Hopefully you’ve had your mid-winter inspection, but have you also checked through your Winter Emergency Car Kit recently? Taking a few minutes to run through a checklist and properly outfit your kit can mean all the difference in a real emergency situation.

How do you know when you need a trickle charger? They are often regarded as battery chargers, but they are not. In Fairbanks a trickle charger is our go-to for battery maintenance in winter. They provide a small charge to the battery over a span of hours rather than minutes. This relatively small input over […]

There are a number of symptoms and causes for shaky braking. Shaky braking is best described as a pulsation or dramatic vibration in the steering wheel or seat. If you press the brake pedal while driving and feel a vibration, you aren’t alone. Here we will describe the most common symptoms and causes of brake […]

Although it’s no secret that Alaska’s extreme winter weather can be harsh on our vehicles, many people don’t know how to properly take care of their cars in order to avoid common problems such as dead batteries, clogged fuel lines or foggy windshields. By following a few simple tips, though, you can help ensure that […]

If you drive a car in a northern climate, Cold Cranking Amps (CCA)matter a lot to you. Chances are, you have no idea what “Cold Cranking Amps” refers to! Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) is a measurement of a battery’s ability to start a car engine at 0*F.  If your car experiences 0*F, then CCA is […]

How to diagnose some sounds a Subaru transmission makes when it is in need of replacement. If you plan to own your Subaru for a while, or if you plan to buy a pre-owned (used) Subaru, here are some transmission noises you should be aware of. Subaru All Wheel Drive is one thing that makes […]

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 […]