Those Pesky Check Engine Lights

Nearly every vehicle on the road (excluding some of those older models) has a check engine light or some sort of service warning light to let the driver know something internally isn't processing correctly. These lights are most often found in the dash along with the other warning lights. We recommend that you study your owner's manual if you are ever unsure of what a light or symbol means because it will assign severity of the issue. If the check engine light does come on, you should take it over to a local mechanic as soon as possible for the following reasons:

What does the check engine light mean?

- Most vehicles have internal computers that act as the nervous system of the vehicle. These computers send signals throughout the car (not just the dash) to make sure everything is in working order. When the light comes on, hundreds of error codes are sent to the computers and neglecting them can lead to severe internal damage. These errors can range from misfires to gas caps being off so although the engine light could be something simple, it could also be something harmful or something effecting your gas mileage.

How do you diagnose the check engine light code?
There are two ways to diagnose what error codes have been stored in your vehicles computer. First and foremost we strongly recommend you take the vehicle to a licensed automotive repair facility with the proper equipment and training. The equipment neccessary to scan your vehicles computer accurately can range from $50-$300. Of course, the highest priced equipment gives the clearest readings and stays current with upgrades and manufacturer changes. These efficient scanners can bring up an error code within 10 minutes. The second option, however we strongly disadvise, is to scan the vehicles computer yourself using a simplified scanner. This smaller scanner will give you an error code, but then you must do extensive research to see what the code translates into.
What We Do: We start of by scanning the computer to get a diagnostic code. Our scanners have touch screen and wireless capabilities as well as an extensive update and informational hard drive. The technician enters the vehicle specifics and the computer translates the codes into English, detects where the source of the code is and any other miscellanous error codes that the computer may be receiving. On average there are about 25 error codes that can be processed in a vehicle ranging from irrelevant things to bigger problems.

So it just gets scanned, fixed, and then I'm on the road?
Not exactly. The scanner equipment only detects and translates error codes, not clear them from the system so the vehicle needs to be driven for the error sensor to clear and turn the light off. For example, if say an error code came up for the gas cap being off (a common code) and you put the gas cap back on, the car will recognize the problem has been fixed and will give the computer the 'OK' to turn the engine light off but the car has to be in motion to do so. There also aren't always new parts involved in the process of check engine light repair as well. Sometimes a little adjustment is needed here or a little tweaking there because not all codes are detremental to safe operation. It is possible to have to keep driving the vehicle to get the code to clear and have to keep rescanning the system to see what the vehicle is reading.

What if it's the computer?
The check engine light will also come on if the vehicle's computer has worn out or is not operating properly. This can be easily identified by scanning the computer. However, the replacement cost of a new computer is quite expensive for the part alone, so you may want to discuss your options with the mechanic.