That Pesky Check Engine Light - Repairing Your Own Car
I constantly hear people grumbling about how their check engine light just will not leave them alone.
Every time it pops on another 80-100 dollars pops out of their wallet to pay a garage or dealership to diagnose and find the new never ending problem with their car.
Then on top of that the fees for labor and parts.
My first car was a used Jetta 1.
8T.
Oh it was a sweet car, pure black, tinted windows, recaro seats.
I loved it for about a month till the dreaded check engine light came on.
So to the dealership I went.
After $300 and a nice five hour wait I had my car back.
My lesson had been learned, to replace that $80 part I paid an additional 220 dollars for their service, which I could of done myself with just a little research.
You do not need to be a mechanic or even have a vast knowledge of cars, all you need is a little internet research and the ability to turn a wrench.
The majority of reasons that your check engine light comes on are just regular maintenance and repair.
Next time your engine light comes on drive down to any large chain for auto parts, Advanced Auto, Autozone, Checkers.
Most of these chains will plug their diagnostics computer into your car, check the code and tell you the part that is needed for the repair, and they will do all of this for free! They also let you rent the tools at a very low cost or for free.
Step one has been taken care of, you now know what is wrong with your car.
Step two, hop on-line and find a DIY on how to fix it.
You can find car enthusiast forums all over the internet for about any make and model of car.
With a quick search you should be able to find "DIY" posts with pictures and videos.
If you have more questions about the repair, just email the posted.
Most people on the forums are very helpful and will respond with the info your looking for.
Make sure you have all your tools and go to work.
If you don't have all the necessary tools I would recommend buying them.
They will be a one time purchase and you will always have them for future projects.
Most times buying the parts and tools will still only cost half of a quoted repair cost from a mechanic or dealership.
I managed to replace all four brakes and rotors.
Including tools and better quality pads and rotors my final expense was less than half of what a big brake repair shop (I won't say their name) quoted me and their quote only replaced two rotors and included low quality brake pads.
Once you get started you'll realize that it's not as hard as you thought and once you do a few repairs you'll feel confident in your work.
Most of these repairs only take about 30 minutes to a hour when your a beginner and it can be a quite rewarding feeling knowing you saved money and did it yourself.
Now to get rid of that unwanted light.
Dealerships and garages want you to believe only they have the power to turn that light off! Well it is pretty simple actually.
When you are done with your repairs disconnect the negative terminal on your car battery for 10 seconds or so and that will reset the light.
You're Done! I have saved thousands in the last five years just from research and learning to do repairs myself.
From audio installs to brakes you can learn how to do them online.
So save yourself some time and cash and get a little dirty with some DIY's.
Every time it pops on another 80-100 dollars pops out of their wallet to pay a garage or dealership to diagnose and find the new never ending problem with their car.
Then on top of that the fees for labor and parts.
My first car was a used Jetta 1.
8T.
Oh it was a sweet car, pure black, tinted windows, recaro seats.
I loved it for about a month till the dreaded check engine light came on.
So to the dealership I went.
After $300 and a nice five hour wait I had my car back.
My lesson had been learned, to replace that $80 part I paid an additional 220 dollars for their service, which I could of done myself with just a little research.
You do not need to be a mechanic or even have a vast knowledge of cars, all you need is a little internet research and the ability to turn a wrench.
The majority of reasons that your check engine light comes on are just regular maintenance and repair.
Next time your engine light comes on drive down to any large chain for auto parts, Advanced Auto, Autozone, Checkers.
Most of these chains will plug their diagnostics computer into your car, check the code and tell you the part that is needed for the repair, and they will do all of this for free! They also let you rent the tools at a very low cost or for free.
Step one has been taken care of, you now know what is wrong with your car.
Step two, hop on-line and find a DIY on how to fix it.
You can find car enthusiast forums all over the internet for about any make and model of car.
With a quick search you should be able to find "DIY" posts with pictures and videos.
If you have more questions about the repair, just email the posted.
Most people on the forums are very helpful and will respond with the info your looking for.
Make sure you have all your tools and go to work.
If you don't have all the necessary tools I would recommend buying them.
They will be a one time purchase and you will always have them for future projects.
Most times buying the parts and tools will still only cost half of a quoted repair cost from a mechanic or dealership.
I managed to replace all four brakes and rotors.
Including tools and better quality pads and rotors my final expense was less than half of what a big brake repair shop (I won't say their name) quoted me and their quote only replaced two rotors and included low quality brake pads.
Once you get started you'll realize that it's not as hard as you thought and once you do a few repairs you'll feel confident in your work.
Most of these repairs only take about 30 minutes to a hour when your a beginner and it can be a quite rewarding feeling knowing you saved money and did it yourself.
Now to get rid of that unwanted light.
Dealerships and garages want you to believe only they have the power to turn that light off! Well it is pretty simple actually.
When you are done with your repairs disconnect the negative terminal on your car battery for 10 seconds or so and that will reset the light.
You're Done! I have saved thousands in the last five years just from research and learning to do repairs myself.
From audio installs to brakes you can learn how to do them online.
So save yourself some time and cash and get a little dirty with some DIY's.
Source...