Custom Automotive Care

If your mechanic is telling you don’t worry about a check engine light, it might be best advise to find a new mechanic. If your check engine light is on there is a problem, it may be hard to find and it may not be something that will make your car break down, but there is still a problem. If the lights on and you have another failure you will have no way of knowing. If the engine light is on it needs to be inspected

“My truck will start but will not stay running. It dies after just a few seconds. I replaced the fuel pump but it still does it.” In this case the fuel pump could be the problem or it could be something else entirely. The fuel pump was replaced without any formal testing or proof the pump was the cause. This was an expensive guess. As it turns out the fuel pump was not the issue. The computer lost the theft code because battery voltage was too low. All it needed was the battery charged (it had not been driven for a few weeks) and the theft system relearned. This was about a quarter of the cost of the new fuel pump that had been installed. Proper testing and diagnoses is usually more efficient than guessing and replacing unneeded parts. #fuelpump #theftlight #stalls #dies

Some people may be confused by charges for diagnostic services for a vehicle repair, even though many other services in life include diagnostic fees – things like computer service and appliance repair. Even when we go into the doctor for a medical problem, we’re paying her to diagnose our ailment and of course for the tests that go along with it. So receiving a diagnostic charge for a tricky automotive problem shouldn’t be a surprise. Automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your brakes, a quick visual check is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you’re having an intermittent problem with your engine, diagnosis may be much more involved. Some think that when the check engine light comes on, the engine computer tells the technician exactly what the problem is. The reality is much different. The trouble code just tells your technician what engine parameter is out of range, not what’s causing it. Your tech ... read more

Many Lincoln drivers have had their check engine light come on. It’s an amber colored light that shows on your dashboard. What is the purpose for the check engine light? Most of your vehicle engine functions are controlled by a computer, not surprisingly, called an engine control computer or ECM. The computer is able to adjust many engine parameters for environmental conditions, engine condition and even the way you drive in Lincoln. In order to make these adjustments, the vehicle computer relies on a network of sensors to provide data. The computer knows the proper operating range for each sensor. When a sensor reading is out of range the computer runs some tests and may turn on the Check Engine Light. If your vehicle check engine light is flashing, that means that something is wrong that could cause severe damage to the catalytic converter or other components. Drive the vehicle as little as possible and get that taken care of right away. If your check engi ... read more