moving to ft wainwright from ft hood (to fairbanks from texas) (to buy, costs)

[dbo]

I am getting ready to get stationed at ft wainwright and I am wondering what kind of vehicle I should have for while I'm up there. Right now I have a 1998 chevy tahoe sport its already 4wd so I'm not worried about that, I'm just wondering what do I need to do to it so it will make it through the winters up there. Any advice?

[heathen]

Unless you're coming up in mid-winter, don't worry about winterizing the vehicle until you get here. Lots of shops offer package deals. Block heater and arctic grade engine coolant are absolutely required. You need either an oil pan heater, or make the switch to synthetic oil. Both is best. Stuff like a battery heater, transmission heater, and having the other fluids changed to a lighter grade is all a good idea. Most years, you can get by just fine with all season tires in Fairbanks, especially with 4wd. Occasionally we get freezing rain though which can make the roads terrible for months. Studded tires come in very handy then.

[RayinAK]

When you arrive to Fort Wainwright, stop by the gas station and ask if they winterize vehicles. If they are too busy and you can't wait, they can tell you who does that work in Fairbanks. If your vehicle is still under warranty, follow the recommendation about the correct oil grade for your vehicle. For example, if the manual indicates that you should use 5W-30 oil during the winter months, but it does not specify if the oil should be synthetic or not, you can use a conventional 5W-30 oil, or a synthetic oil of the same grade (it makes no difference). However, synthetic oils handle extreme temperatures better than conventional oils.

Another example: for the 2009 Subaru Forester with a normally aspirated motor, Subaru recommends oil/filter changes every 3,000 miles or 3 months (whichever comes first), and 5W-30 grade oil year round. In this case you have the choice to use any oil you want, synthetic or not, but you still should replace it at the recommended intervals if the vehicle is under warranty. On the 2010 Toyota Rav 4 V6 the interval is 6 months/5,000 miles, not just 3,000 miles like the Forester. Still, Toyota does not specify the type of oil you should use, just a 5W-30 oil year round. But in this case I would use a synthetic oil, not because a conventional oil would not work, but because the lifespan of a synthetic oil of the same grades much is longer than a conventional oil.

The cheapest place to buy oil in Fairbanks is at Walmart, where a gallon of Mobil 1 costs around $25.00, and a gallon of Penzoil conventional oil costs around $17.00.