What is that little light all about? Well, it’s complicated – but then again it isn’t. The check engine light, or malfunction indicator lamp, is the most common customer concern documented in recent years. Sometimes it is associated with a drivability concern, sometimes it comes on for what seems like no apparent reason.

By federal law, car makers have to illuminate thecheck engine light if a vehicle failure results in excessive emissions. The failure can range from a simple gas cap, to far more complex sensors or actuators and sometimes even control modules or other mechanical problems.

It is very important that this condition NOT be taken lightly if it happens to occur to your ride. You should definitely take the time to have a repair facility perform a complete diagnostic. At Central Automotive the diagnostic process is the key to efficient and complete repair.

A car cannot be fixed by “turning the light out.”  Scan tools are intended to help the technician determine the nature of the failure that is causing excessive emissions – they are not intended to simply “clear codes” that may be stored for the purpose of providing important diagnostic data. The longer the light stays on, the more likely the vehicle is to have cascading faults relating to the check engine light.

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