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How Much Does It Cost to Have My Car’s Engine Light Checked?

Your engine is responsible for giving your car motion and taking you where you need to go. One of the first indications of engine trouble is the Check Engine light appearing on the dashboard. Having your vehicle checked during a routine maintenance appointment is the best way to ensure everything is working properly. Fortunately, you don’t need to spend a small fortune on diagnostic tests. Take advantage of our free offer to have one of our ASE-certified technicians pull the trouble codes stored in the onboard computer. Once the initial code scan has been performed, there are specific steps that need to be taken to pinpoint the problem or failed component.

Causes of an Engine Light

If the orange-red glow of your engine light appears, it is not the time to panic. Our professionals can easily figure out the problem. In fact, the cause might not even be related to your engine. There are several reasons why an engine light may appear, ranging from minor to serious.

  1. Cracked or loose gas cap
    If you have a faulty gas cap, fuel can evaporate from your vehicle, triggering your engine light to appear. If screwing your cap on tighter doesn’t solve the problem, a quick cap replacement is all that’s needed to eliminate the disruptive symbol from your dashboard.
  1. Damaged Vacuum Hose
    The built-up pressure in an engine needs to be relieved. A vacuum hose plays a crucial role in mitigating this pressure so your engine can run smoothly. A broken hose may mean your system is at risk for small misfires that can eventually cause a full-system shutdown.
  1. Worn Out Spark Plugs
    Like most components, spark plugs wear over time. Even if just one plug is malfunctioning, your engine might idle rough, stutter, or stall. Three common causes of worn-out spark plugs are:

    • Age and mileage
    • Overheating
    • Oil contamination
    • Carbon buildup
  1. Faulty Ignition Coil
    An ignition coil is responsible for taking power from the generator and transferring it to the spark plugs. There are several different ignition coils in your engine. Technicians generally analyze the symptoms your car is experiencing to pinpoint which coils need to be replaced.
  1. Failing Catalytic Converter
    A catalytic converter converts harmful gases from your engine into safe compounds that can be emitted with minimal damage to the atmosphere. Built-up debris or internal overheating can cause your converter to give way, resulting in poor engine performance and lower fuel economy. Also, driving the vehicle with a misfire will cause unburnt fuel to build up in the converter material and cause a blockage.

Trust the Technicians With a Passion for Quality

If you notice the Check Engine light on your dashboard, the sooner you bring your car in to Sun Devil Auto, the better. Engines are large and complex machines, but if caught early enough, chances are the problem can be fixed. Certified technicians will scan your on-board computer for diagnostic codes free of charge and recommend affordable solutions so you can get back on the road faster.