Services - Engine Diagnostics

1. Ignore it. That’s a really terrible idea . . . your car will not heal itself! At best, you’ll probably suffer reduced fuel economy and damage to your tune-up parts; at worst, you risk breakdown and engine damage.

2. Bring it to a parts store and have it scanned for FREE! Most of us have come to understand you get what you pay for. There is no free lunch .They, of course, might find your problem . . .but here is what can happen: the parts store will plug in their scanner, an inexperience minimum wage kid will read a number, like trouble code PO178, and with great confidence tell you that you need an oxygen sensor that they just happen to have in stock for $89.95. Maybe you can put it in yourself or maybe you’ll have to pay a technician to do it for you. When your check engine light comes back on a couple of days later, the young kid will, of course, no longer work there.
   
   

3. Bring it to an expert. Your car, besides your house, is likely the most expensive thing you own. Experience matters! The check engine light is lit because your PCM (Power Control Module) is getting bad data from one of the following sensors:
   
   
   • mass air flow sensor
   • throttle position sensor
   • knock sensor
   • map sensor
   • egr vps
   • air temp sensor
   • coolant temp sensor
   • speed sensor
   • camshaft/crankshaft position sensor
   • oxygen sensor . . .
   • or whatever sensor the engineers have added since we made this list.

   The skill is knowing which sensor or combination of sensors is causing the problem . . .
   
   OR if the problem is in a sensor at all. Sometimes the problem is as small as a gas cap or a bad spark plug or ignition wire. Let an expert take the guess work out of it and do the work right . . . the first time!