"CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT!!

[y3kbuddy]

Hey guys, one day i was driving and suddenly my "check engine" light came on. i freaked! after reading the manual i realized that it wasnt too serious so i calmed down. now my question is, exactly what could be wrong with the car, and how much should i expect to pay? one mechanic said 65 just to check out the problem. Am i getting ripped? thx for the help.

 

[Joey P]

I think 65 bucks sounds about right. I believe you could get a code scanner from PepBoys for like 35 dollars to check out what codes the computer threw out.

 

[Alec]

Most OBDII code scanners are about $150. Harbor Freight has cheepo ones but they're not that good.

Often Autozone will check your codes for free.

 

[DTek]

Unfortunately, y3kbuddy is in California. The CA Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) prevents AutoZone from pulling codes.

 

[jimbo74]

huh? how would the BAR prevent somewhere from pulling codes? thats the only way to properly diagnose than repair the problem....

 

[DTek]

As I understand it (and I have not verified this), BAR considers pulling codes to be auto repair and AZ is not authorized to do repairs.

 

[y3kbuddy]

yup yup, DTek is right. AZ used to do it until the mechanics all went and complained or something like that cuz now AZ is not allowed to do it. I went and checked. Damn mechanics want to rip me off. f****** B******.