my check engine light came on ('02 nissan altima) and i called the nissan dealership, who said it'd be $106 to do a diagnostic.

i know that dealerships always charge you more, but is it better to go to them for this type of problem? or can i take it to a repair place/gas station?

One of my favorite stand up bits by Jake Johanssen suggests that a small piece of black electrical tape would do the trick.

If you are under warranty, take it to the dealership for sure. If you can allude that you might be willing to look at a new car from them down the road they may cut you a break too.

I'm guessing that you don't know a mechanic that you can trust? Mechanics, like plumbers, HVAC guys, etc. are like gold if you can find one that you can trust.

unfortunately, the car is not under warranty anymore.

there's a shop that i've usually gone to, by my parent's store. they seem to have done decent service. i guess i can take it there.

just wondering if the check engine light is something that should be handled by the dealership, to pinpoint what's wrong.

This thread is so full of sterotypes its too easy.
I'll save my self the trouble.

As far as the light, do you have a friend that knows anything about cars? Maybe he can look at it for you?

I'm no mechanic by any means, but $106 seems steep for a diagnostic that generally takes 2 minutes and is pretty much as simple as plugging a peripheral into a computer. The key questions to ask a would-be mechanic:

1) Can you plug an OBD-II scanner into my car and interpret the results?

The answer for any mechanic should be "yes" or "no" with no in-between and no need for you to explain what OBD-II is.

2) Can you tell me what the most common causes of "check engine light" are for my car and handle the repairs for that?

AFAICT, and again I'm no mechanic -- the most common reason for a solid "check engine" light with no other tangible signs of trouble are emissions related (be sure your gas cap is on correctly) and|or a broken sensor. You may want to Google for Nissan forums (nissanclub.com was the first that came up for me) and see if some particular part failure is commonplace, and ask about mechanic experiences in the area.

thanks for the advice, guys. good stuff :)

$100 is pretty standard to get your check engine light turned off. That said, the codes the ECM store (that make the light go off) are standard so any number of places can get the code. That said, the code will only say what isn't happening well enough not "why" that something isn't happening well enough so you still need someone to check the car out and see what it is that's gone bad.

Since they aren't overpriced in this case, I'd just take it to the dealer.

Whoa... I've never paid anything close to $100. Places like Autozone will plug the scanner in for free or nearly so, and charge a whole lot less to flush the ECM if it's stuck. Depending on the model, you may be able to flush such errors by disconnecting the battery.

Whoa... I've never paid anything close to $100. Places like Autozone will plug the scanner in for free or nearly so, and charge a whole lot less to flush the ECM if it's stuck. Depending on the model, you may be able to flush such errors by disconnecting the battery.

thats what i was going to say.

A lot of times, there is a sequence of shit you can do to turn off the light. With my Grand Prix, you can turn the ignition on, pump the pedal three or four times, turn off the ignition, hit the brake, then turn the car all the way on.

Sounds like a buncha shit, but it was in my owners manual...when I tried it, it took a few trys, but sure as shit....it worked!

yeah but you need to know why the light came on. my light came on a couple months ago so i disconnected the battery to see if it came on again. it did. turned out to be both head gaskets. if i kept ignoring it, it coulda been an engine. youre better off just going to autozone or advanced auto parts etc and having them check it. if your lucky its something you/friends can do for parts. i woulda done the gaskets myself but the block has to be machined, so it cost a chunk. just have it checked out. for future reference, you can get an OBD-II checker for about $50 on ebay, good buy if you know your car shit.

edit: if you care, get a chiltons manual for your car, it will have all the ODB-II codes in there. its only $15 or so. it will also tell you what every single nut and bolt in your car is, good idea for anyone to have.

my check engine light came on ('02 nissan altima) and i called the nissan dealership, who said it'd be $106 to do a diagnostic.

i know that dealerships always charge you more, but is it better to go to them for this type of problem? or can i take it to a repair place/gas station?

I had this exact same thing happen to me. I went to AutoZone, where they do free diagnostics and found out the problem, they said it would be no big deal. So, I took it to Northwest and they told me I needed some new oxygen sensors and it would be about 500 bucks. I told them I definitely wasn't feeling that. Next I took it to this shop that a friend of my dad owns and all he did was reset the light and everything is all good.

So I give you two pieces of advice Matt. Take it to a place where you know some trustworthy people that work there, and don't even think about going to Northwest, because they work on comission and are some money hungry bitches. Good luck.

And by the way, the check engine light is the most overrated thing ever. The light comes on and everyone (myself included) just acts like it's not even there.

My brother-in-law (been around the family since I was born) is a mechanic from a family of mechanics so he pretty much does all the work on my car but he's always told me that shit cost $100 to get run anywhere (though I've never actually had it done myself). If you guys have first hand experience then I stand corrected.

Anyone remember the old emissions tests in Oakland/Wayne/Genesee County? They could be performed by a non-mechanic much like an oil change, cost $10-20 bucks, and involved a fair amount of work (probes in the tailpipe and other places, other stuff depending on the make and model). The OBD stuff was intended to replace all that, which is why the interface to "jack" in your car is underneath the steering column on the left. It's designed so someone who isn't necessarily a mechanic can easily grab the data for places where emissions testing exists, or might exist in the future.

The engine light happened to me in my old car. Luckily my cousin knew how to diagnose it. He did something with the ignition and then the light flashed a certain number of long a short dashes like morse code. This was a long time ago (10 years probably) so I couldn't tell you how he did it. But it told him what was wrong and I fixed the part with his help. If you can get Autozone to tell you, go for it. In my case I needed a new ignition control module (it's the part that the coils (the part that the spark plug wires connect to) connect to). It would have been 500 bucks to fix and I did it for 80 bucks myself.

Never go to a dealership unless you are under warrenty.

http://www.obdii.com/

Links & How-to's to retrieve the DTC (code) and to determine what needs to be replaced.

It's usually a sensor (30-150) or a misfire (10-100 (tune-up))

Check engine light got me for $300 yesterday.

Ignore it. It's Christmas season, and the light is probably red, so think of it as a decoration.
I drove my Honda with the "check engine" light on for two years, and nothing happened. I think it's programmed in to go on every so often so you take it to the dealership to se what's wrong.
He'll either say something like, "Well, it's pretty bad. I think it's the shmmizzerquerf dmozzleip tpglk", and it'll cost $8900.00 to replace, and we'll have to order it from the factory in Sri Lanka, it'll take about 4 years to get it in".
So, you trade the car in, and buy another $30,000.00 piece of shit, and two weeks later, when you take the new car in to have them tell you why the "check engine" light is on, you see your old car in the dealerships lot with a $15,000.00 price tag on it, and you'll overhear the salesman telling some dolt that it was just traded in by a 96 year old lady who "only drove it to church" every Sunday.

For what Glenn?

Sometimes the check engine light comes on for things like scheduled maintanences. They should really improve that so the driver can somewhat diagnose what the cause is.

Maybe I got screwed, I dunno, but if I did, the guy did a great sales job on me and deserves my money.

This is a dealership we're talking here, and they replaced an oxygen sensor that had failed that was causing the car to run "too rich" (using too much gasoline, and wasting it). I had indeed noticed that my mileage has gotten worse in the last year or so, not 100% sure if it is related but of course he said it was.

The car seems a bit more powerful today, which he also said might happen.

I did not, however, go for the $650 set of tires he was pimping to me.

Did he spray something in the engine while it was running and the engine stopped?

Don't know, the transaction happened over the phone.

Maybe he sells satellite TV at night?

What do you drive?

Oxygen Sensor for my car is like $40-$60

Saturn Vue

Part was $99, labor was $150 (I'm just out of warranty)

I had them change to oil too, which was $30

Sorry for the deception.

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=saturn+vue+oxygen+sensor&btnG=Search&lmode=online&scoring=p&sa=N&start=0

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=saturn+vue+oxygen+sensor&btnG=Search&lmode=online&scoring=p&sa=N&start=0


LOL, thanks Mxy.

It says "save 75%" and they list them at $20, which makes that $99 seem about right.

People who have the aptitude/time/patience can afford to find a good deal on an auto part and fix it themselves.

I'm the guy that pays someone else to do it.

If it makes you feel better I'm sure Taymelo would have payed like a grand for the same service. You know, if he didn't just lease all his cars that is.

...and BigggChris would have paid 26% interest

O2 sensor is about the most common reason for a check engine light. Thats hella expensive though, and I bet they spent about five minutes changing the part.

To be fair, they did shuttle me to and from work and I had an Otis Spunkmeyer and a cup of coffee in the waiting room.



EDIT: Also, if I am not mistaken, the car that Matt mentions in the first post of this thread has since been totaled.

What is an Otis Spunkmeyer?

...and BigggChris would have paid 26% interest

BiggChris would have had the part on layaway for 8 months.

This question should have been asked in the "AKS MOLA1 SOME SHIT (Advice and Counseling inside!)" Thread.

how an oxygen sensor works (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question257.htm)

The fix:


You can diagnose the problem yourself if you have access to the right tools including a digital voltmeter, an oxygen sensor socket, and a propane enrichment device. These specific tools, along with a proper Haynes or Chilton manual by your side, should be all that you need to determine if the oxygen sensor is no longer working. If it has failed, than consider ordering your replacement part online through a reliable wholesaler such as the Oxygen Sense shop to obtain a high quality OEM part at discounted prices. Once your part has arrived than all you will need is one or two automotive wrenches to accomplish the job. Again, reference your car’s manual for exact instructions.
With the abundance of sensors and technical gadgetry on today’s vehicles it can seem fairly intimidating to do the work yourself. Fortunately, an oxygen sensor is one of the easier parts to replace, so if you do the work yourself you will save time and money as well as gain an important sense of achievement. Go ahead you weekend mechanic, you can do it!


should have asked a Haynes (http://www.haynes.com/)

Damn, that important sense of achievement would have been nice.

LOL, thanks Mxy.

It says "save 75%" and they list them at $20, which makes that $99 seem about right.

People who have the aptitude/time/patience can afford to find a good deal on an auto part and fix it themselves.

I'm the guy that pays someone else to do it.
So am I. I don't do most automotive things myself. I don't have the tools, the hoist, the functional spare car floating around, or the time, inclination, and calluses to fuck with that shit. The closest I've ever gotten to my inner car mechanic was rebuilding a carburetor from a kit, back when an older car might actually have a carburetor.

-but-

In cahoots with the mechanic, I have bought and brought parts (including an air sensor, come to think of it) and directed him to swap the part on my car for what I bought. I don't mind a little shopping, when it's not a rush job. If the mechanic isn't profiting off selling the parts too, it's not too hard. Once it is out of dealer warranty, I never go to the dealer if I can help it. :)

I still say ignore it. The car should be good for at least two years worth of driving with the light on before it explodes.

i don't do everything myself, but you can save buy doing what mxy said too. I bought shocks once and they charged $20 to put them on. I don't have a lift so it would have been very time consuming to do. But I save a hundred bucks just by buying the shocks first.

I hear ya Chris. That's why I buy my own gas.

I think the point is, Matt had this same problem and now his car is totaled.

I'm pretty sure I'm a deadman.

I still say ignore it. The car should be good for at least two years worth of driving with the light on before it explodes.

Ive known three people who did that and ended up with a dead car, two of which didnt even make it home. Last time mine came on it was two blown headgaskets. The time before that it was a dead radiator and in the five minutes it took me to drive home my engine block cracked. Def not a good idea to just ignore it.

Well, for two months now, I've been driving with the "check coolant" light on in my '95 Escort, and the thing still drives perfectly!
What I'm trying to say is that sometimes you can be just a little too worried, and be too busy trying to fix shit.
Like it says in the bible, in Timothy 45:23:
"If it is in God's will, thy car shall start in the morning, and get ye to work. If it is not, then maybe some hot chick shall pick ye up on the side of thy road and give ye a blow job"

What Bible is that? Does Gideons put it in motels?

My $.02 -- GET IT CHECKED OUT

There's no reason to get jerky when you see an idiot light turn on, crashing your car swerving off the road. But, you should get it checked out sooner rather than later, 'cause you never know. Go to Autozone or somewhere that does free diags. Heck, with Autozone you can even go online to book the appointment if picking up the phone or just audaciously driving in with "my car's broke" doesn't work for you.