Planning first oil change @ 500 or 1000mi

[Inspector14]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Inspector,

PS How do you find the Yaris performs in the snow? TIA

thanks for that info! i have been planning an Amsoil change, just got in touch with the dealer here (sold out of his home garage... ) so i will go that route. just need to wait for my Blackstone labs test kit to arrive.

My car (09 lift back) was purchased in December of 2008. at that time the average temperature in the day time was about 15 degrees F, at night it was dipping to -10*F down to a max of -21*F ,the car started just fine. a little slow, but it did OK. switched to synthetic (even if a grp 3) and starting was great, smooth, and fast.

it gets icy and cold here, and we DO get snow, but in the last few winters the city has gotten better at clearing the roads and not much has built up. When i first picked up the car, it had the Bridgestones on it. Potenzas dont fair well on ice, and had some hairy moments in that first week. I got some General Altimax Arctic studded and siped snow tires, and that car is solid as a rock on the ice.

The ABS comes in handy in emergency situations, but you learn to anticipate things in the winter here. summer is only like 4 months long before we hit fall. everyone forgets how to handle snow and ice, and the first 3 weeks or so of winter, is a massacre on the roads.

i am wondering if the VSC and TCS standard items on the '10 yaris, if they are just ECU re-flash items, or if there is hardware associated.......