Check Engine Light

To me, a bright orange glow of Check Engine on car's dashboard used to mean - ~ $80 down the drain, or, a slight risk of rip off by an unscrupulous mechanic. Because, mechanics charge ~ $80 for diagnosing the problem; they would credit back the money if we get the car fixed at their shop. So, we will likely end up getting the car fixed by the mechanic who diagnosed it, as: (1) we don't like the hassle and time involved in dealing with another mechanic and (2) There is a chance for our disliking of charges/service of the second mechanic, which would cost us $80 more.

On gaining slight experience the hard way, I realize that orange flush on the dashboard does not necessarily mean that it is the end of the world (i.e., leaving the car in the shop for the whole day).


Now, before I explore other alternatives, I would try the following three easy fixes.

(1) Tighten cap on the fuel tank. Check Engine light can come on for many reasons - it can come on for as trivial fault as loosely secured cap on the gas tank. This happened to me a couple of times; I tightened the cap and the light was gone.

(2) Try fuel additives. This too worked for me once.

(3) Go to Auto Zone or Advance Auto Parts. They diagnose fault codes for Powertrain Control Module, for free! Auto Zone even gives us a print out with OBD Code(s), their descriptions, and possible causes. I recently used this free service from Auto Zone, and found out that the (car's) gas cap was not as tight as it should have been.

Phony Customer Service

To the extent possible, I stopped using telephone customer support. Those press 1, press 2,... voice prompts can eat up time. For some companies, the trick of pressing zero repeatedly (or not pressing anything) for reaching a live operator quickly, would kick us out of the system. I am having a lot better luck (in saving time) with live chat on the web. With automated banking etc., luckily, I rarely call customer service these days. Here is an interesting article on telephone customer service in the Wall Street Journal.

Tired of computers answering your telephone calls for customer service? GetHuman.com and NoPhoneTrees.com are two Web sites designed to help callers connect to an employee and bypass automated systems.

GetHuman.com maintains a database of "tricks" and telephone numbers for 500 consumer companies, from airlines to banks. Consumers search for companies by industry or name. For some companies, like Alamo Rent A Car, the site simply gives a phone number that should connect "direct to human." Other firms require special codes. To reach employees at MetLife Bank, for instance, users are instructed to "press 000 rapidly and repeatedly, ignoring messages."

To talk with people at the Federal Trade Commission, callers are told to "press 450 at each prompt, ignoring messages." Volunteers test the numbers at least every quarter, says Lorna Rankin, the site's only paid employee. And if a user says a code no longer works, Ms. Rankin tries to find a new trick the same day.

NoPhoneTrees.com, a similar service provided by Chicago health-care technology company Bringo, verifies more than 400 entries for roughly 250 companies monthly, and will spot check a number whenever users complain.

With NoPhoneTrees.com, users search for a company or department on the site -- say, Delta Air Lines' Baggage Service Center. You enter your phone number and hit a button that says "fetch." The site rings your phone within seconds to verify that the request is legitimate.

Bringo's site then navigates the company's phone tree, calling you back when it connects to a person or when the call is placed in queue for an employee.