The Check Engine Light
The check engine light is part of a car’s on board diagnostic system, and has been required for many years in cars sold in the United States (specifically as a part of the OBD II system since 1996). But when the check engine light comes on, what exactly does it mean? It’s supposed to alert a driver to problems with the car when it doesn’t meet emissions standards, or has emissions-related problems:
If the “CHECK ENGINE†light is on, your vehicle could have a problem ranging in severity from a loose gas cap, which wastes fuel and causes pollution, to an engine misfire, which could cause permanent damage. (from carmd.com)
But the check engine light has become more than just an emissions sensor and a driver alert. It seems like it has become a ruse of many auto manufacturers to get customers into their shops for service.
While OBD II set the standard for American-built passenger vehicles, many foreign automakers have piggybacked their own proprietary diagnostics onto it. As a result, the check engine lights themselves (and the range of well more than 100 possible problems they can detect) vary considerably.
[from bankrate.com]
So the check engine light can mean a lot of different things. Carmd offers a self tester where you can check the OBD II codes yourself and check the dealership on whether they’re charging you for a real service or just to turn off the light. It’s $90, and they say it’s easy to use. Auto manufacturers should consider installing the code readers directly onto the dashboards of cars, to tell the driver/owner exactly what problems the car has.
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December 21st, 2006 at 8:34 am
Brad,
In fact, auto manufacturers have already installed code readers directly onto the dashboards of cars newer than 1998 model year—they just haven’t told anyone about it. If your check engine light is on you can turn your key into the on position 3 times and your code will pop up where your digital odometer is at.
PS I heard a stat on the radio yesterday morning that said 1 in 5 people do NOT redeem gift cards and that BestBuy alone made $43 million dollars last year in gift cards that were not redeemed. CRAZY.
December 21st, 2006 at 12:48 pm
My question is, why not? Why haven’t they told anybody? Is it some sort of collusion between the manufacturers and the shops?
December 21st, 2006 at 1:00 pm
[...] This is from a comment made by Jon, but I wanted to highlight it: In fact, auto manufacturers have already installed code readers directly onto the dashboards of cars newer than 1998 model year—they just haven’t told anyone about it. If your check engine light is on you can turn your key into the on position 3 times and your code will pop up where your digital odometer is at. [...]
December 31st, 2006 at 12:16 am
Jon, does that little trick only work with certain manufacturers? Because I’ve tried it on a Ford and it doesn’t work. Perhaps it’s just a Japanese thing - they always seem to be ahead of their time in the auto industry.