The Check Engine Light

No matter what type of car you own, one ubiquitous light on the dash that no driver wants to see is the Check Engine light. The check engine light has become as common as the ignition, however practically ever car manufacturer differs on what causes it go off. Here are some tips on caring for your vehicle and servicing your vehicle when the check engine light goes off.

New Cars

If your vehicle is brand new, the risk of a check engine light going off is quite common. In fact, for most new car owners, expect to see the light go off in the first few months of driving your vehicle. Many times, this light will go off because of a computer code failure. Just as your computer sometimes crashes, for many reasons new vehicles are prone to check engine light false positives. Generally speaking, your vehicle being new is covered with a warranty and the service station will check your computer to see what is wrong and if it is an error, it will be reset.

Emissions Control

Another big reason for your check engine light to go off is if there is an emissions problem. Car manufacturers are trying to be more responsible and this means that if your vehicle is spewing out potentially harmful amounts of emissions, it should be fixed. If you have a problem with your catalytic converter, engine or exhaust you may see this light turn on.

Engine Problems

Obviously engine problems are what you would expect when the check engine light goes on. This can occur when a component has malfunctioned or when you forget to close the gas cap on your vehicle. By alerting the driver, hopefully the driver can catch the problem quick enough before doing further damage to his vehicle.