Shouldn't That Check Engine Light Tell You More Than Visit The Dealership?

My check-engine light came on the other day.

Or, as it should really be called, the "your car knows exactly what's wrong but it refuses to tell you anything useful because it enjoys watching you panic" light. It might just mean you were too busy watching your paycheck disappear at the gas station to remember to tighten the cap. Or it could mean that the car has carefully chosen this desolate stretch of highway to test your survivalist skills.

Automakers build cars today that can tell you the pressure of each tire, warn you of other vehicles in your blind spot and parallel park themselves. Features such as Ford Sync even allow you to practically have conversations with the car, which then probably spends all night complaining to other cars about your terrible taste in music.

TehShibbs - 6/23/2012 3:46:48 PM

+1 Boost

Well, most Chevrolets that I know of TELL you when the gas cap is loose, and the light will reset itself when the problem is fixed. That is THE most common reason for a CEL to trigger. Gotta give props to them and any other manufacturer that does this.

Also noteworthy, some manufacturers will actually disable other components of the vehicle when the CEL is triggered, regardless of the reason for turning the light on. For example, my Subaru would disable the cruise control, even for something as silly as an undertightened fuel cap. I saw that as yet another dirty reason to make sure you bring it to the dealer.