to not tell dh about the 'check engine' light and ignore it as car is working fine?

[brt100]

The check engine light is now coming on a couple of times a week. We really can't afford to do anything to fix it and it is functional at the moment, it just Judders a bit when I go too slow in 5th.

Dh will get stressed and try to fix it himself. Would rather not have that as its not his forte.

I ignored an engine management warning light on a skoda Octavia for about 2 years (and passed at least one MOT) because the car was running absolutely perfectly and DPs first preferred garage seemed quite happy to charge us hundreds of pounds a time to hook the car up to the computer and then change a random part that 'might' solve the problem but never did.

When we finally found a garage that fixed the problem for a reasonable price without the car ever running 'wrong' or breaking down and the car has run fine ever since.

Trouble is that the computers and electrics of cars these days are so compicated that the average person doesn't have a hope in hell of solving the problem themselves or understanding the issue.

Ooh cross post heartshapestone.

Mine was the exhaust gas sensor - common problem apparently and only a real issue if you want to sell the car or they change the MOT rules.

Great cross posts!

Thats my worry, they will charge a fortune to do something that might fix something that isn't even a problem at the moment.

It has been generally showing when I was labouring the engine, I've stopped doing this and hasn't come back in 3 days.

These days they plug a machine to the car and it tells you what's wrong.
It may cost a few tens of pounds to do it, though.

There could be many reasons for it and if it isn't on all the time then it isn't as easy to diagnose as you'd think.
The fault may not show up on a diagnostic check of the light isn't on at the time of the test. It depends if the fault code has been stored on the ECU or not.

My engine management light comes occasionally if I go overt a certain speed. I know the fault, the EGR valve is sticking. It isn't a dangerous fault and isn't going to do any damage to anything. The car is running perfectly. The only effect from it is over time it may affect the emissions. If this happens I will have to do something about it but as it's a very old car and not worth much anyway it's really not worth doing for now. The only reason I know what the fault is is because my BiL is a mechanic, a full diagnostic came up clear.

You need to have a think about is what are you doing when the light comes on. Are you going over a certain speed, are the revs going over a certain limit, are you breaking hard, things like that. That will go a long way to helping you work out the cause.

Basically, yes, it may be not be serious but you need to find out what it is, only then can you decide what to do about it.

X-post, OnIlkley!
Snap

A full diagnostic shouldn't cost more than £50 btw.
If anyone tries to charge you more than that tell them to stick it!

If you don't want your DH to know then buy your own error code reader.

Do It Yourself.

My engine management light is on all the time, its been into the garage twice and no one knows whats causing it, everything appears fine and it passed its mot five weeks ago so at a loss.

The person who had it before me fucked about with the electrics and now I have an indicator that turns on the headlights if you leave them on when the engine is off, a dodgy radio connection and the orange brake light flashes on an off, again been checked out and all is fine. Oh and you have to whack the top of the dashboard to get the dashboard lights to come on.

Pile of shit but i did at least get it checked out.

I tried that with mine, Crystal, but it wouldn't work sadly (mine's a 2001).
The code isn't stored on the ECU because it's an intermittent fault not a permanent one iyswim. Handy trick though, definitely worth a try.

Redex got mine through the last 3 MOTs though and a damn site cheaper than a new EGR valve!

A mobile mechanic can test it at your house
The bloke who did mine charged about £30

Well jel
My CAT is slowly disintegrating from the inside out.
I make a lovely tinkling sound as I drive past though!

On my car (note, I'm in Canada) I can read the on-board diagnostics like this:

1 Insert key into ignition.

2 Starting at the off position, turn the key to the on position, back to the off position, once again to the on position, once again to the off position, and finally to the on position one last time. To summarize, that's three sets of Off to On sequences, starting from the initial insertion of the key.

3 Be ready! The code(s) will then read out on your odometer. (The codes should start with a 'P' which will be followed by four numbers on my car)

4 Consult a repair manual or local dealership to translate the code(s) to their corresponding issue(s).

5 Assess whether this is something you'll try to fix or if you're going to take it in for repair.

You could try googling for this procedure for your car... a check engine light can be (almost) nothing... or something.

I ignored a problem for a couple of days and then, while doing 40, the car span out of control, over a central-reservation-type-thing and onto the other side of the road. It's a miracle no cars were coming. It also happened about 30 seconds before I joined the motorway. Again, it's scary to think what the outcome would have been.

I was really angry with myself for being so stupid.

Sorry to be boring but I'd say get it checked.

(It was a ruptured fuel line)

I was also going to say if it's a Fiat then ignore it, but I see someone else beat me to it! My old Fiat Stilo flashed the engine light whenever I exceeded 50mph; garage couldn't find a problem with it, as it was never happening when the car was stationary, and put it down to a dodgy wire. Apparently it happens a lot on Fiats!

I am astounded that any one would drive a vehicle that has an undiagnosed issue on the say so of a bunch of people who aren't trained car mechanics.

It would be completely irresponsible.

As a car owner you are responsible for making sure it is road worthy. Not doing so can cost you huge in the case of an accident.

Get it looked at op, and stop relying on people who have little to no idea about car mechanics.

And to add I never go on a motorway

That's irrelevant, seeing as you do drive on roads & as it is, your car may be unroadworthy.

I just think now cars are all computerised then minor problems that need not fixing come up.

You said this is your first car, so are you new to driving? In which case, you do not have the experience to judge noises in your car, or to judge what is a minor issue or not.

GET IT CHECKED

stop relying on people who have little to no idea about car mechanics

Speak for yourself!

Moosey can you explain how that happened? The only scenario I can think of is that the car is diesel, the road was wet, on a bend and the fuel line dumped a shit load of diesel ahead of one of the rear wheels - even then I struggle to see how at 40mph the car would have been so uncontrollable that it crossed a central reservation. I'm not saying it didn't happen just that I'm struggling to understand how.

Ok, I work for Fiat Uk

Because there was an issue with some vehicles and the engine light coming on, everyone with a Fiat now seems to think if their light comes on it's just because it's a Fiat.

Which is a bit dangerous to assume.

Just take the car to a garage and get a diagnostic

Lol @ another vote to ignore random lights on fiats, seams like they have an issue!

Its the first car I own myself, been named driver on bangers for years and my 03 car runs like a rolls in comparison.

Don't think its fair to dismiss everyone on here that disagrees with you as someone with no experience!