Symptom guide
Check engine light on? Four questions first
A check engine light can mean anything from a loose gas cap to a problem that will wreck the engine if you keep driving. These four questions sort one from the other.
Narrow it down
What the symptom usually means
Is the light flashing?
If yes, stop as soon as it's safe. A flashing light means an active misfire bad enough to send unburnt fuel into the exhaust, and that destroys the catalytic converter quickly.
Does the car feel different?
Rough running, hesitation or a loss of power alongside the light means something is actively wrong. Get it scanned soon rather than eventually.
Did it come on right after filling up?
Check the gas cap is tight and clicked. A loose cap sets an emissions code, and the light usually clears by itself after a few drives.
Is anything else lit up?
A battery light at the same time points at the charging system. An oil or temperature warning at the same time means stop driving now.
This is a guide, not a diagnosis. Two cars with identical symptoms regularly turn out to have different faults — that's what the scan is for.
Worth knowing
Before you spend money
- A parts-store code read gives you the circuit, not the failed part. Treat it as a clue.
- Don't clear the code before it's diagnosed. The stored freeze-frame data is genuinely useful.
- A light that keeps returning after a repair usually means the real cause was never found.
- Write down when it happens — cold start, highway, after rain. Patterns narrow it down quickly.
Questions
Can I keep driving with the light on?
If it's steady and the car feels normal, usually for a short while. If it's flashing, no.
How much is a diagnostic?
$95, reduced from $125, and it's credited toward the repair if you have us do the work.
Other symptoms
Where we come to you
Still not sure what it is?
That's what a proper diagnostic is for. Call or text and describe it.