I wish to share this simple piece of information that has saved me thousands of dollars over the past several years. Yesterday my vehicle check engine light turned on and I knew what to do. I have never owned a new car; I always buy used. I usually buy an American model lease back or rental return with around 25,000 miles on it which saves me $10,000 – $20,000 on each vehicle purchase, and that allows me to stay out of debt (which my wife and I abhor). The risk is that the factory warranty expires 5,000 – 10,000 miles after purchase, so I could end up with a useless car less than a year after purchase, but that hasn’t happened. What has happened is the check engine light frequently lights after the vehicle exceeds 50,000 miles. In the past when this happened, I always took the vehicle to a dealership to have them diagnose and fix the problem. I’d have to make inconvenient commuting arrangements since I’d loose the car for 1-2 days, and a repair was required that cost between $500-$2000 dollars.

Since I am a mechanical know-nothing, I accepted the dealer’s word, made the repair, and paid the bill. I don’t recall how many times I’ve been through this repetitive cycle, but it’s been often enough to cause me a lot of frustration.air duct cleaning in south plainfield nj I don’t remember where I learned this, but several years ago, I learned that I didn’t need to go to a dealership or another garage to find out why the check engine light was lit. hunter air purifier ozoneI didn’t even need to buy any special equipment to find out why it was lit.lg air purifier in dubai Today I take the car to an auto parts store like Auto Zone or Advance Auto Parts and tell the guy at the counter that my check engine light is on.

He plugs a handheld electronic device into my car, and tells me why it is lit. Several times, it said “emissions problem” – translated – A LOOSE GAS CAP! We tightened the gas cap, reset the light, and it didn’t light again for months. Other times it was a plug misfire, which can be a complete aberration. Again, we reset the light and it didn’t light again for months. A couple times, repairs were required, but at least I walked into the dealership with knowledge, which helped me keep the cost down. With knowledge of the problem, they couldn’t B.S. me. The best part – it’s something you can do in five minutes that may save you thousands of dollars. You can also buy yourself your own inexpensive Diagnositc Code Reader. Check out Amazon’s entire assortment of ODBII Diagnotic Scanners. To some readers this may be common knowledge, but for those of us that are mechanically challenged, it will save you cash.Has this happened to you?I recently had my service engine soon light come on.

Nothing can quite compare for me, to the feeling of angst that occurs when this happens. I am always struck with a sense of concern about whether the issue is serious or not. I hate the feeling that I might be taken advantage of by an un-ethical mechanic or service shop. Here are a few pointers that I learned along the way on my recent "service engine soon" adventure! Lessons learned - PointersSo what should you do the next time this happens to you. 1 - Don't feel like you're at the mercy of a mechanic. I remembered when this happened recently that AutoZone has a free check engine service that they will perform for you. I've found them to be extremely friendly and helpful. They have facilities which are open 24 hours a day so you should be able to find one near you which can accommodate you even if you work odd hours. 2 - Get a test run first even if you end up having the repairs done by a service facility If you're anything like me, you like having as much information as possible before going in to a service location / mechanic.

Having the information provided through the AutoZone check enabled me in this particular instance to perform a relatively minor service myself. When you consider the hourly rate of mechanics these days (at least $70 - $90 per hour) then the effort is many times well worth it. I don't know about you, but that's more per hour than I make! So how did my story end???I stopped by my local AutoZone and had them run the diagnostic check. Turns out that I had a bad mass airflow sensor. The new sensor ran me just over $100 and took me about 90 minutes to complete the job. That time by the way included a trip back to AutoZone to borrow a tamper proof star screwdriver to remove the old sensor. If you didn't know it already, AutoZone offers a free tool loaner program. In my case, I had to run back to AutoZone once I got the air cleaner assembly removed from my engine which provided access to the mass airflow sensor. I just carried the assembly back in to AutoZone and they let me borrow the required screw driver to remove the old sensor and install the new one.

One last pointer - removing the negative battery cable from your battery will reset the service engine soon lamp. Once I replaced the sensor, the service engine soon light was still on. I learned from the helpful clerk at AutoZone that if you remove the negative battery cable from the battery and leave it off for about 60 seconds that the computer resets the light. Once you put the battery cable back in place and run the car again,... if the problem hasn't been resolved,... the light will come back on. In my instance,... the problem was resolved and I was back in business. I hope my experience will help you should you encounter a "service engine soon" illuminating for you on your way home. IT MAY BE YOUR GAS CAP!Another very common cause for Check Engine Soon lights to come on is your gas cap. Over time gas caps can become worn and don't seal properly. If your onboard computer senses that your gas cap isn't doing its job - your light can come on also. Double check that your gas cap is in place and that it is on tightly.