“Even if the vehicle appears to be running normally, ignoring the warning light could result in more costly repairs,” continued White. “At the very least, the light could be alerting you to an engine problem that is negatively impacting fuel economy and costing you money.”
When scheduling service, make sure the repair shop that examines your vehicle has professional technicians who are trained and certified in OBDII diagnosis and repair. The technician will connect your vehicle’s computer system to a diagnostic scan tool, which will provide trouble codes indicating why the check engine light was activated. While the diagnostic tool is connected, the technician can analyze data streams such as the idle speed, throttle response, engine temperature, fuel system pressure, manifold vacuum, exhaust emission levels and many other key indicators. Once the problem is identified and the repair is made, the car’s computer is reset to initiate the computer’s release process.