The Battery/Charging System Indicator Light is amber in color and looks like a battery.  When this light illuminates, or stays illuminated or comes on and off while driving it is indicating that there is an issue in the charging or starting system of your vehicle.  There are several things that is could be, the battery not holding a good charge or having bad connections, bad connections at the starter, a broken or loose alternator drive belt, a failing alternator or again not having good connections.  We recommend having this inspected and tested immediately, this light usually indicates an imminent failure that will cause a breakdown situation.

The Oil Pressure Light this is indicated in an amber color with an oil can with a drip.  This light is often misunderstood as time for an oil change light.  That is not what it is indicating, when this indicator is illuminated it is indicating that your engine is not receiving enough oil.  This could be because of low engine oil level or low engine oil pressure.  An engine that is starved of engine oil or pressure can be damaged internally within seconds or minutes of continued operation.  We recommend if that light ever comes on, turn off the car immediately and have it towed to your trusted repair facility to have it diagnosed.

The Coolant Temperature Light is amber in color and shows a thermometer in a circle. When this light illuminates it usually indicates that your engine is operating at an excessively high temperature.  The sensor for this light is measuring the temperature of the engine coolant that is circulating in the engine cooling system.  If this light comes on it is recommended to turn off the vehicle immediately and have it towed to your trusted repair facility for a diagnosis of the overheating engine.  Please keep in mind that engine can overheat without that light coming on if the coolant level is low.  So make sure your coolant level is checked regularly with oil change services and immediately address any leaks of coolant that you may see from under your vehicle. Also, never attempt to remove a radiator cap on a vehicle that is overheating you can get seriously injured due to the amount of pressure build up in that system.

Lastly, there is the Transmission Temperature Light that is much like the Coolant Temperature Light, this light will illuminate when your transmission is operating at an extremely high temperature.  It can turn on due to low fluid level, or poor transmission fluid condition, transmission pump flow, or when the vehicle is being used for towing at high temperatures.  It is recommended to have the vehicle towed in to your trusted repair facility if this light stays illuminated, if it goes back off, then we would recommend having it diagnosed as soon as possible.  A transmission that is operating at too high of a temperature can cause internal damage to the transmission.

The different warning lights on your dash, which we have discussed in the past few articles, is your vehicles way of talking to you.  Make sure and listen then take the appropriate action to minimize any damage or down time with your vehicle.  Happy Motoring!

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Maintenance required light is often questioned by consumers.  This is a reminder light, not really a warning light and it is set by the mileage of your vehicle.  When the vehicle is serviced with oil changes or other maintenance items, this light should be reset.  Then it will come back on when it is due for maintenance.  If you look in your vehicle manual it is set up based on the scheduled service intervals recommended in your book.  If you would like to service your vehicle more frequently you can have the maintenance reminder reprogrammed based on your preference.

The malfunction indicator light is known as the check engine light or the service engine soon light.  It can illuminate as an Engine Symbol or the words Check Engine or Service Engine. If this light comes on this means that the computer of your vehicle has recognized that a circuit, system or sensor in your vehicle is working out of parameters.  This problem can affect engine performance and emissions.  If the light stays solidly on, we recommend making an appointment with your trusted repair facility soon and having the vehicle diagnosed and repaired.  If the light is flashing on/off this is considered a catalytic converter damaging condition and you will usually feel a difference in the performance of the vehicle.  In this type of situation you should pull over, turn off the car and have it towed to your trusted repair facility before further damage or a breakdown occurs.

During the next article we will go over a couple warning lights that have to do with some of the safety features of the vehicle.  Happy Motoring!

The post What Are The Warning Lights On Your Vehicle’s Dash? appeared first on All About Automotive.

When it comes to Auto Repair, Service and Maintenance we have a few tips for good quality at a fair price.

• Find an automotive repair facility that you like and trust to take care of your vehicle. They will have all your service and repair history for information on what has already been performed, what needs to be attended to, and can perform the warranty work for any prior work or parts that they have installed.
• When you have a computer diagnosis that needs performed, have it diagnosed and repaired by the same repair facility. Then the diagnosis and repair will be guaranteed, and you will not pay multiple diagnostic charges.
• There are big differences in the quality of parts that are used in automotive repair industry. Work with a shop that chooses the best replacement part for your car.  A lifetime warranty on a part does not hold much value if it needs to be replaced several times due to failure, rendering you helpless in a breakdown situation or having to take your vehicle to a shop several times.  The inconvenience and loss of time for you has value too.
• Do not let friends, neighbors, and relatives that are not qualified and trained to work on vehicles, attempt to work on your car. Repairs that are performed incorrectly can cost you money, time, safety, reliability and can diminish the value of your vehicle.

The quality of a repair or diagnostic process is not always easy to see.  Finding and sticking with a repair facility that you can trust, and that will stand behind their work, with a proven track record and longevity, can give you assurance that any future concerns can be met.  Remember, you get what you pay for. Happy Motoring!

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When this Check Engine or Service Engine Soon light flashes you should pull over safely and shut the vehicle off.  Have the vehicle towed to your trusted repair facility for a diagnosis and repair.  Continuing to drive this vehicle, in this condition will do further damage and could cost more to repair.

The catalytic converter is designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle if it is kept in optimum running shape.  If the catalytic converter fails, it is important to find out why and correct what caused the failure.  Or your catalytic converter will fail again. Depending on the type and age of vehicle you drive, causes a huge variance on the replacement cost of a catalytic converter. Many of the vehicle’s we drive in Oregon are manufactured to meet California Emissions Standards.  If the catalytic converter in your vehicle fails, it needs to be replaced with a comparable original equipment.  If the catalytic converter replacement is not impregnated with enough precious metals, it will not coincide with the emissions calibration on your vehicle’s computer, and could still signal a catalytic converter efficiency code, which will illuminate your check engine or service engine soon light.  When your light is illuminated or if there are current codes stored in the computer of your vehicle it will not pass DEQ.

When your Check Engine or Service Engine light is on. This light is a warning to the driver that their vehicle needs to be diagnosed and repaired.   It is not an emergency but should be performed in the near future when you can.  When this check engine light is flashing, the condition the computer sees, can do damage to the exhaust of the vehicle.  We would not recommend continuing to drive the vehicle. Have it towed to a facility for a diagnosis and repair.  Happy Motoring!

The post        My Check Engine Light Is Flashing What Should I Do? appeared first on All About Automotive.

We recommend that you look at many things when facing that decision:

• Has the vehicle been well maintained up to this point?
• What kind of shape is the vehicle in, exterior, interior and mechanically?
• What is the current value of the vehicle? (This is figured on a car that runs and operates)
• Are there other major issues brewing with the vehicle that will need repaired in the near future?
• How much do you like the vehicle does it do everything you want and have all the options you want and need?
• Are you willing to keep it another 5 years to get the value of the repair back out of the vehicle by using it longer?

A well taken care of and maintained vehicle can hold a more enhanced value, and have greater longevity. It is a stronger candidate for investing in a major repair.  If there are a lot of other things wrong with the vehicle you would want to look at those costs also in making the decision.  Repairs can exceed the current value of the vehicle, and are not worth it if you choose not to keep the vehicle.

It is usually less expensive to repair a vehicle than to buy a new or sometimes even newer vehicle.  But a major repair does not increase the value of the vehicle.  If the vehicle were to get stolen or totaled in a car accident you might not get the full amount of the repair factored into the vehicle value.

The average consumer spends about $800 to $1000 annually maintaining, repairing and replacing tires on a vehicle that is over 5 years old.  If you are spending more than that, it might be time to consider replacing that vehicle.  If you are under that then your current vehicle might be worth investing in and considering a major repair.  Happy Motoring!

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