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.