Your car will show you which areas of your vehicle need attention through the lights on your dashboard. If your tire pressure is low, the TPMS light will come on. The gas tank light comes on when you’re almost out of gas.  But sometimes, it is not obvious what these lights are trying to tell us. A check engine light can appear on your dash for a variety of reasons. It could mean something simple like a loose gas cap or more complex like your engine is misfiring. So what should you do when your check engine light is on?

Do Not Ignore Any Check Engine Light

Clearly, something is a miss if the check engine light is on. Driving with a compromised engine could cause serious damage to different engine components if not assessed in a timely manner.

If the check engine light is on steady and not flashing, you can keep driving it as long as your vehicle is performing normally. A steady check engine light is your vehicle’s way of telling you that your car needs service. You should schedule an appointment soon to have an auto technician look into it for you.

A flashing check engine light is a more serious matter. Does it continue to blink while you’re driving? Does your vehicle hesitate when you drive? Is your vehicle now driving rough? Your car is letting you know there is a critical problem and possibly an emergency situation. If this happens, safely park your car and turn off the engine. Driving with the check engine light in this condition could potentially cause irreparable damage. Lou’s Car Care has trained auto technicians ready to help you diagnose your concerns. Give us a call as soon as possible!

Check Engine Codes vs. Check Engine Diagnostics

Check engine codes and engine diagnostics are two separate stages of the repair process. This first step in trying to figure out why the engine light is on is to pull fault or trouble codes that your vehicle has stored. These codes only tell the technician which area of your car is causing the concern. Once the auto technician has pulled the fault or trouble codes, they begin to investigate the reason for each code, as well as, look at the timeline of when the codes first occurred. It can take some time to properly diagnose the vehicle to find the root cause of the problem.

At Lou’s Car Care, it is our mission for you to drive away confident that we are doing everything possible to keep you and your family safe! Our technicians will utilize the latest diagnostic equipment and software to pinpoint your vehicle’s issue. Our service team will discuss the problem and solutions with you to help you make the best repair decision for you and your vehicle.

Ready to schedule an appointment? Lou’s Car Care is the right choice when it comes to check engine light diagnostics. Serving the Baldwinsville, Syracuse, Liverpool, Camillus, Clay, Cicero, and Fayetteville, NY communities since 1976.

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