Check Engine Light

The "Check Engine" Light ... How many of you have been driving along enjoying your ride when all of sudden that ominous light comes on.  What is this "Check Engine" Light?  Why is it on? and What is wrong with my car? 

What is the "Check Engine" Light and Why does it come on?   Your vehicle's on board computer is constantly checking systems in your vehicle, communicating with the different sensors and relays to assure there are no problems.  In the event the computer does find an issue it will acquire a fault code for that issue and trigger the "Check Engine" Light "On".  At this point the information can be retrieved to begin the process of repair.

What is wrong with my car?  As I mentioned before when the light comes it is because the on board computer has detected an issue and stored fault codes.  Technicians can retrieve these codes with a scanner, the misconception is that the codes retrieved by the scanner will tell the technician exactly what is wrong with the vehicle.  In actuality these codes are a very good starting point, but not exact.  There are test procedures that need to be performed for most codes.  Some codes can be fairly cut and dry because there may only be a couple of reasons for this particular code to be triggered, but most times there are several components that need to be checked and many circumstance that could trigger a particular code.  At this point the technician has to do a combination of visual inspections and test procedures suggested by the manufacturer to pin point the exact problem causing your "Check Engine" Light to come "On", this can take some time.  Guessing at the problem can be very time consuming and expensive.

I have heard of a lot of places advertising "Free" Check Engine Light Diagnosis,  more often than not you will find that what they are doing for free is not a diagnosis but retrieving the fault codes for you for free, then recommended what they "think" maybe wrong with your vehicle.  Anyone with a scanner can retrieve these codes, in fact they sell basic scanners at most auto parts stores fairly reasonably, but an actual diagnosis like I have mentioned is more thorough.  At Golden State Smog, we can retrieve codes for you for "Free" and let you know what system the fault codes pertain to and if it is something that may need to be addressed right away or not, but until an actual diagnosis of your vehicle is done we are only guessing.  To diagnose a vehicle it usually will take 1-2 hours depending on the actual issue, once the diagnosis is complete we give our customers an estimate of what needs to be repaired.  So if you have a problem with your Check Engine Light, give us a call, we are always more than happy to help.  Check out our website for coupons www.goldenstatesmog.com.