OK I am looking to get a new 350 with the 6.0. I live 15 miles from town so the shortest trip it will see is at least 15 miles. Will this kill the motor? I have read a couple of posts that say short trips are bad. Is there a way to ease the pain of a short trip? Is this why I always see people leaving their diesels running? I want the 6.0 because of the power numbers it is producing. Money isn't an issue but I don't want to blow the motor prematurely. Any thoughts?
Thanks

 

15 miles is PLENTY of time to get the oil temps up and burning off any bad stuff, including condensation. Make sure you let it idle at the END of your trip a minute or two to cool down the turbo. Short hops are generally considered less than 5 miles IMHO.

Now with that being said, you should wait a year and buy an '04 6.0....AFTER they work their bugs out (and it has plenty to "work out")

 

My drive to work is 15 miles one way and the engine is plenty warmed up way before I get there. I have experienced no problems. I do let it cool down for a couple of minutes before shutdown. Be consistent with your oil changes! You should be fine!

If you can wait, the 04' 6.0 would be a better choice from all the problems that have been listed on various threads in reference to the 03' 6.0s.

Good luck on your decision!

Mike