Back to all

Check Engine Light Diagnosis at Courtesy Auto Repair Plus

October 3, 2017

Hello Tiffin . Have you ever had your Check Engine light come on? Did you panic? Or just scowl and ignore it? What should you do? Pull to the side of the road and call a tow truck? Or just keep driving? What does that little light really mean for Tiffin drivers?

First of all, the Check Engine or Service Engine light does indicate that something is wrong. That's why it is called a warning light. But the something that is wrong might be a loose gas cap, or it might be serious vehicle engine trouble. That's why Tiffin residents often don't know how to respond to it.

The Check Engine light has two modes: it flashes or it stays on. A flashing light is serious. You need to get your vehicle to Courtesy Auto Repair Plus in Tiffin ASAP. No, you don't need to call a tow truck, but, yes, you can't wait to get your car serviced. If your Check Engine light is on and flashing, you should not tow trailers, haul heavy loads or drive at Ohio freeway speeds. Any of these could lead to serious damage that could result in repair bills for Tiffin drivers who ignore it.

steady Check Engine light is less serious, but that doesn't mean it can be ignored. You should plan to get your vehicle inspected at your local Tiffin automotive service center at the first realistic opportunity. Not the first convenient opportunity, but the first realistic one.

Modern automobiles have a computer in the engine that monitors and controls many of the engine functions. When the computer senses something wrong, it first tries to fix the problem itself by adjusting the vehicle engine. If the problem persists, the computer signals the Check Engine light to come on.

This process stores a trouble code inside the vehicle engine's computer. Your service advisor at Courtesy Auto Repair Plus scans the computer and reads the code. This does not tell the technician exactly what is wrong with the car, but it gives him a good idea as to where to start looking.

Of course, the best thing to do is to keep that pesky Check Engine light from coming on in the first place. Good vehicle care and routine preventive maintenance go a long way to keeping your vehicle out of your Tiffin auto repair shop. But, if that light does come on, be smart. Take care of the problem early, and take care of it professionally.

Courtesy Auto Repair Plus
967 Bon Air Ave
Tiffin, Ohio 44883
419-443-0797
http://www.courtesyautorepairplus.com

 

More articles from Courtesy Auto Repair Plus

A Bright Spark (Ignition Coil Replacement)

August 24, 2025

Ever wonder how your vehicles engine is able to take the 12-volts from its battery and ramp that up to as high as the tens of thousands of volts it takes to fire its spark plugs? The secret is something called an ignition coil. Most newer vehicles have an ignition coil at each cylinder, but olde... More

Plugging Away (Spark Plug Replacement)

August 18, 2025

If you drive a vehicle with a gasoline engine, thank the spark plugs for igniting the gasoline/air mixture in each cylinder that keeps your vehicle traveling smoothly down the road every day. Your spark plugs work hard, firing thousands of times in a well-choreographed order, and you usually don... More

A Hot Mess (AC System-Compresser)

August 10, 2025

Air conditioning used to be a real luxury in a vehicle, but now it's standard in most. Your vehicle's air conditioning system is built to last a pretty long time, but like anything mechanical, sometimes it fails. It helps to know a little about how the A/C works. There's a compressor that press... More