What is OBD and What does it do?

OBD stands for “On Board Diagnostics,” and if your vehicle was built after 1996, then your car, SUV, or light truck has this system. It’s your car’s built-in computer, and its purpose is to monitor the major components of your vehicle’s engine, including emission...

The mystery of the ‘Check Engine Light’

Do’s and don’ts of diagnosing a car’s enigmatic little message article from nbcnews.com 09/21/2007 It’s just a little amber lamp in the dashboard, a tiny bulb behind a plastic pane the size of a postage stamp, inscribed with a very big message. Depending on the...

Free check engine diagnosis – Continuation

Last month we did an article about companies that offer free scans of your vehicle to let you know why your engine light is on. I wanted to continue on that conversation, so you get good understanding on the difference between the tools the Auto parts stores use vs....

What is a “Check Engine” or “Service Engine Soon” light?

The “Check Engine”, “Service Engine Soon” light or MIL (Malfunction Indicator Lamp) means that the vehicle computer detects a system not functioning within its pre-programmed parameters. Many things can trigger the check engine light: A loose fuel cap (computer sees a...