If you read our previous post, Check Engine Light Woes, this follow-up post piggybacks on one of its most important points: your check engine light will come on if anything is remotely off. From a half-closed gas cap, to tires that are unevenly inflated, your car’s computer is just ready to flash that annoying little light at you if it detects anything even slightly out of the ordinary. The worst mistake people make when their check engine lights come on is to take their cars back to their dealerships. Dealers often charge $150 or more simply to analyze what’s causing a check engine light to come on. At qualified service centers like MOTEC Auto Care Clinics in San Diego, this check engine light scan is FREE! Also, most people don’t realize that if the check engine light is on when you bring your vehicle in for a smog test in CA, your vehicle will automatically fail. Even worse, a smog technician can’t refuse to test your vehicle even if he or she notices your check engine light is on! (Believe it or not this is California law.) According to this law, the technician (who is fully aware your vehicle will fail automatically because this light is on) will simply take your money and fail your vehicle. So going in for a smog test with your check engine light on accomplishes nothing, and simply robs you of cash.
In short, a check engine light just means you car’s computer sees something funny. That’s it. Why pay to have the problem diagnosed when you can bring your car to MOTEC for a free diagnostic test? And never go in for a smog test with your check engine light on!
Tags: car routine check-ups, check engine light, computer diagnostics, diagnostic testing
