Engine Maintenance & Repair

When your check engine lights comes on, you may be torn between utter panic and just wanting to ignore it and hope it goes away. That's perfectly understandable. That same check engine light could come on for anything from a serious engine or transmission problem all the way down to a loose gas cap.

There's a very common misconception that the trouble codes stored in your engine computer when your check engine light comes on will specifically identify a problem. It's really more like pointing to the symptoms of a problem. For any given trouble code, there could be a number of causes. Bring your car by, and we will be able to use the trouble code as a starting point and begin a diagnostic process to determine the cause of the problem.

Think of taking your temperature. Say it's 101. Your heat sensor – the thermometer – tells you that your temperature is out of the normal range. But it doesn't tell you why you have a fever. Is it the flu or a sinus infection? You need more information; more tests. When your engine management system logs a problem and illuminates the check engine light, we will plug in a scanner, download the trouble codes and go to work tracing the cause of the problem.

If your check engine light is flashing it means that the problem could lead to serious damage. You should get to the service center as soon as possible to get the problem solved. If it's on but not flashing, you have some time to get in at your convenience.

Learn more at NAPAautocare.com/preventative-maintenence/