The Dreaded Check Engine Light

The Dreaded Check Engine Light

The Dreaded Check Engine Light

We have all been there before; we just had our car serviced or our car is virtually brand new and on comes the check engine light. We all depend on our cars. We need them to go to work, to school, to run errands, or to pick up the kids. What will happen to the functionality of our lives if our primary mode of transportation goes out of commission?

It's amazing how that simple little light illuminates and creates a world full of doubt in the reliability of our prized conveyance. In the current economy, not many people can afford to pay costly automotive repair bills and still keep up with the plethora of normal bills already on the table. There are wide varieties of problems that could cause the check engine light to come on; and to minimize repair costs there are a few things that you can do before heading to the repair shop.

When the check engine light comes on the first thing to take note of is whether there is anything different about how the vehicle is running and if the car had recent service. If the car seems to be operating normally and it had no recent service, you can safely reset the light by disconnecting the negative terminal of the battery for 20 minutes then reconnect it. If the light does not re-illuminate, then the issue is resolved.

However, if the light returns, you have a few options before taking the vehicle to the shop. The fear that comes from the dreaded check engine light is the fact that car manufacturers decided that they would not include the cause for the light in some easily readable format for the average car owner. Instead, the car computer stores a fault code in its memory, which can only be read by a diagnostic tool. As you can imagine, a repair facility will have these tools on hand and usually charge a premium just to retrieve the codes from your car's computer. What many people don't know is that you can borrow one of these tools for free from your local auto parts store.

Choosing to pay a repair facility to run diagnostics on your car or doing it yourself for free is a matter of personal preference. If you are on a budget, you may want to opt for the latter. In many cases, if a vehicle seems to be operating normally, the check engine light may have come on due to something very simple such as a loose gas cap. By retrieving the code yourself, you can save not only a trip to the shop, but also the price tag of having them tell you your gas cap was loose.

The simple fact is that the check engine light is not an indicator of the severity of the problem nor is it specific in nature. Choosing to find out the underlying issue yourself can be cost effective. In many cases, the problem is minor and the resolution is simple for a somewhat mechanically inclined owner.

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