Dear CarTalk, I have a 2000 Dodge 250 with a cummins diesel engine with approx 141,000 miles. I use it to pull a trailer and plow snow. I put between 500 and 1,000 miles on it a year. I change the oil once a year and the oil is always clear. How often do you recommend I change the oil?
Thank you.
Orland
That sounds about right. Some may argue every six months, but a year seems reasonable, and I think I remember annually as a general interval in a couple of owners’ manuals I’ve read for low mileage use.
One other item that’s been said by several knowledgeable CarTalk posters (and Tom and Ray) is to periodically take a few longer drives (at least 30 minutes) to allow the car to evaporate accumulated water in the engine especially if you can do it right before it will be sitting for a while.