CHEVROLET Colorado Check Engine Light

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not accurately tightened to a more serious failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it good to get the proper code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is typically between $88 and $111. The good news, Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues offers entirely free multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help determine the cause of your check engine light.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. If you check engine light is flashing, we endorse that you pull over and contact Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues to help determine if your car is secure to drive in or if we endorse a tow truck. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is generally difficult to predict how many miles you can be secure in driving with the warning light on.

CHEVROLET Colorado Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating, particularly to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminate, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, again known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Colorado. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can accurately represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you useful knowledge about your car and will again allow that crucial Check Engine Light to do what it is absolutely supposed to do: be your guide. Sadly, apparent and helpful car symptoms do not invariably accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of conceivable OBD codes, there are again hundreds of conceivable reasons for the light, including:

• Ignition system faults
• O2 Sensor
• Transmission issues
• Fuel and air metering systems problems
• Emissions controls issues
• Old Battery
• Bad Spark Plugs
• Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
• Computer output circuit issues

This is why it is essential for someone who does not have a lot of predominant automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues at 9045745317 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out immediately by a adept certified CHEVROLET mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a serious concern, you risk damaging your vehicle further by not repairing the issue right away.

Check Engine Light Service CHEVROLET Colorado

What do you do when you’re driving along in your CHEVROLET Colorado and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most CHEVROLET owners, your heart sinks drastically because you may have absolutely idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep, tranquil breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is advised that you get your CHEVROLET Colorado checked rapidly. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major, considerable damage to expensive engine components.

When your CHEVROLET Colorado's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t correct, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is usually labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that can quickly identify the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our CHEVROLET auto repair mechanics at Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues. There are still a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you prefer that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to determine the absolutely correct issue and repair it.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a CHEVROLET Colorado?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a serious problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty and costly repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady and continuous glow typically means something less serious but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in meaningful trouble and useful service is required rapidly. If your check engine light is flashing in your CHEVROLET Colorado, we highly advise not to drive the car and schedule CHEVROLET service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:

• Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your CHEVROLET Colorado’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is ordinarily caused by regularly neglected maintenance, which is why Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues offers a complimentary multi-point check with each CHEVROLET service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your CHEVROLET Colorado will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your vehicle may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other perilous problems from overheating.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are needed for your CHEVROLET Colorado. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mix in the combustion chamber of your car. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run smooth. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or old, you will experience a noticeable poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, leading to more expensive repairs.
• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your CHEVROLET Colorado is what determines how much fuel is needed to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to certain changes, like altitude. If your CHEVROLET Colorado is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden quick change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a critical sign of a faulty mass airflow sensor.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your CHEVROLET Colorado is each vital. Without a vehicle battery, your vehicle won’t start, light up the road in front, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s vehicle batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of CHEVROLET you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
• Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns more promptly and your car will be less efficient when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause meaningful damage to your catalytic converter and your CHEVROLET Colorado's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the explicitly correct mix of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A faulty O2 sensor can still cause a vehicle to fail an emissions test.
• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak extreme havoc on your CHEVROLET Colorado if it’s not installed perfectly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the car from starting. If these issues sound familiar, bring your Colorado to CHEVROLET and have our team of gifted certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed properly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, particularly aftermarket parts and accessories, or utilizing OEM parts first place might cost a little bit more but could help you save considerably from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
• Your CHEVROLET Colorado has a vacuum leak. Each CHEVROLET Colorado has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system still helps lower unhealthy emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, particularly if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme cold.
• One of the most common and frequent cause is that your CHEVROLET Colorado gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your CHEVROLET Colorado serves various purposes. It prevents dangerous gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a faulty fuel cap? If your gas cap is old or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump and be more pricey. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on swiftly after you put gas in your CHEVROLET Colorado, first thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.

CHEVROLET Colorado Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your CHEVROLET Colorado starts flashing, that means that the problem needs attention promptly and your CHEVROLET should be brought in quickly. A flashing light indicates that the problem is remarkably serious and if not taken care of promptly may result in major and meaningful damage to the vehicle. This blinking light normally indicates a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can instantly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive and far-reaching repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can specifically be the cause. A damaged, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If the problem is completely ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a tremendously costly repair. If your check engine light is consistently flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues instantly by calling 9045745317.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your CHEVROLET Colorado will normally shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will rapidly turn itself off. Still, if your catalytic converter is working accurately, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your CHEVROLET Colorado light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

CHEVROLET Colorado Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several common causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other mainly common reasons for a Check Engine Light are damaged oxygen sensor, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty head gasket, faulty emissions control part, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, or broken spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the CHEVROLET Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and entirely repair it as necessary to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your CHEVROLET issue was entirely fixed.

Every CHEVROLET Colorado was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the car on its critical systems. The fast sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending vital data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. Yet, unfortunately that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what exactly is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Exceedingly Qualified Service professional.

Is it safe to drive your CHEVROLET Colorado with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a serious issue and it is recommended to service your CHEVROLET Colorado quickly. This question is not extremely simple because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to drive. This is typically indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more serious problem. Call the experts at Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues by dialing 9045745317 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your CHEVROLET to our certified mechanics as in the near future as imaginable.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most frequently misunderstood lights or indicators in your CHEVROLET Colorado is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the vital onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a wide range of different ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your car. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored car performance since the 80s and do a wide range of things for your CHEVROLET Colorado. Some of these essential duties include ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, and implementing cohesion control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a wide range of different things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as dangerous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your CHEVROLET Colorado, contact Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues. Contact Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues today! Our CHEVROLET service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing.