carcounsel.com |HID|

I come from a family of automotive hypochondriacs. Perhaps it’s my influence but the smallest squeak or vibration has my mother or sister scheduling an appointment. (This is great when the car’s under warranty – their cars are better sorted out after 50,000 miles than the day they leave the factory).

But there is one thing both of them are far too sensitive to: the dreaded check engine light.

The check engine light is tied into the car’s emissions control system. It simply means the car isn’t running as intended and therefore may be polluting more than it was meant to. If you don’ t feel or hear anything unusual it is unlikely driving the car with the check engine light illuminated will cause any harm. (The lightning bolt on the warning lamp means the issue is with an electrical sensor, not that your engine will soon explode). You may notice a drop in performance or fuel economy, however.

As a general rule, warning lamps that light up in yellow are gentle reminders whereas any light that lights up in red – e.g. the oil light – requires immediate attention.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 22nd, 2005 at 8:08 pm and is filed under , errata, maintenance, technical.