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Let me preface this by saying I am not an expert on cars. The experience that I had at my garage yesterday, though, gave me an uneasy feeling.
I have a 2007 Saturn Ion, and I noticed that the "check engine" light was on after my fiance used the car and put gas in it. Other than that, I didn't notice anything unusual about the way that the car was running. Because of schedule and weather, it was 2 weeks before I could get to the garage. I also needed to have the car inspected. I know now that I can take the car to AutoZone for diagnostics, or buy a code reader off of Amazon. My bad.
Anyway, I took it in, and when the mechanic came over to discuss the inspection results with me, he starts by saying, "I'm just being honest with you..." and proceeds to tell me what passed and that the car failed the emissions portion because the diagnostics read two codes. As I said, I'm not an auto expert and I'm not about to tell someone how to do his job. But then he proceeds to tell me "I don't have much luck with these things. I'm just being honest with you..." and repeating the same things over again. He didn't ask me any questions about when the light came on, if I noticed anything different about the way that the car was running, nothing. I did say that I noticed that the light came on after a trip to the gas station, and he said "Oh, that never happens." First thing that I did when I saw the light was pull out the owner's manual - and the manual stated that the check engine light can come on because the gas cap wasn't on tight enough, or because something got wet. If this is what the manual states, and numerous other sources say the same thing, I find it odd that this mechanic "never heard of that happening". I'm not saying that it IS the problem, I just find it odd how he responded.
He said that he'd need my car for a day so that he'd have time to figure out what was going on with the car, and again, he doesn't have much luck with these things...at that point, I'm becoming rather uncomfortable with his explanation. He can't offer me a satisfactory explanation of what codes came up, what could be wrong, or how it would impact the operation of my vehicle. He did say that it would need a part that would cost $300. That's about the only part of his explanation that I understood. He then said that it's a common problem and that "they wouldn't stock the part if it wasn't a common problem." If there's truly something that needs to be fixed, that's fine, but at this point I really want a second opinion. I told him so, the codes were cleared, and I opted to drive the car to see if the check engine light reappears and do a little more research, because I'm not just willing to throw $300 away on something that he "has no luck with". My fiance drove it around last night, and I drove it another 50 miles today; so far, no check engine light.
I know that there are some lessons learned for me here. I plan to get one of those code readers and I plan on getting a lot of feedback from people I know WRT finding a new garage. Am I right in feeling uncomfortable with this whole exchange?
If the check engine light goes away it's fine. You are right if it comes back again get the code read for free then diagnose the problem. And not with that shady mechanic
Glad to hear it worked out for you. I went in to have my tires rotated, and they came and told me I needed front brakes. I said I just did 20,000 miles ago you better look again.
Get the code reader, and when you have an issue a little internet research can save a lot of money. Even youtube video's showing you how to do something. Good luck.
If the check engine light goes away it's fine. You are right if it comes back again get the code read for free then diagnose the problem. And not with that shady mechanic
The paperwork that I got for the failed inspection states that I can get one free retest if I go back to the garage -but repairs must be done in order to pass inspection. Which is fine, if they are necessary. I'm realy tempted just to eat what I paid for the inspection and get it done somewhere else, because I feel THAT uncomfortable with the whole experience. Is it going to pose a huge problem for me if I have it inspected at another garage?
eat what you paid for the inspection. i am betting that the gas cap was loose which can throw a check engine light in modern cars. i also recommend getting your own code reader, these days they are inexpensive enough in fact you can pop by harbor freight if you have one in your area and grab one for less than $60. as far as passing emissions, unless you went for an official test, you shouldnt need to worry as long as the computer isnt throwing codes, or the check engine light is on, when you go to have the car tested officially.
I'm willing to bet that it was just a loose gas cap.... When that happens, if you take the gas cap off and tighten it back up really well, it should go away after a few miles. So, I think you are fine now... You should find a different mechanic for sure, this guy sounds shady!
I'm willing to bet that it was just a loose gas cap.... When that happens, if you take the gas cap off and tighten it back up really well, it should go away after a few miles. So, I think you are fine now... You should find a different mechanic for sure, this guy sounds shady!
It will almost certainly take more than a few miles to pass the evap monitor and turn off the light.
If the check engine light goes away it's fine. You are right if it comes back again get the code read for free then diagnose the problem. And not with that shady mechanic
A code read is frequently FAR from a diagnosis. Here are a couple of things a shop owner who does real check engine light diagnosis sees on a regular basis when a someone gets a free code read at Autozone or similar:
****Ford V8 or V6 engines have a code for O2 sensor reads too lean. O2 sensors replaced, (Autozone more than happy to sell them to you after pulling the "O2 sensor" code) and problem is not fixed because the real fault is a vacuum leak which can be diagnosed and found best with a smoke machine.
****EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) fault code pulled and EGR valve replaced to no avail because real problem is DPFE sensor (on Fords) or clogged passages, (many vehicles.)
A fault code is an error message, and less a diagnosis than simply a pointer to an area of trouble.
Let me preface this by saying I am not an expert on cars. The experience that I had at my garage yesterday, though, gave me an uneasy feeling.
I have a 2007 Saturn Ion, and I noticed that the "check engine" light was on after my fiance used the car and put gas in it. Other than that, I didn't notice anything unusual about the way that the car was running. Because of schedule and weather, it was 2 weeks before I could get to the garage. I also needed to have the car inspected. I know now that I can take the car to AutoZone for diagnostics, or buy a code reader off of Amazon. My bad.
Anyway, I took it in, and when the mechanic came over to discuss the inspection results with me, he starts by saying, "I'm just being honest with you..." and proceeds to tell me what passed and that the car failed the emissions portion because the diagnostics read two codes. As I said, I'm not an auto expert and I'm not about to tell someone how to do his job. But then he proceeds to tell me "I don't have much luck with these things. I'm just being honest with you..." and repeating the same things over again. He didn't ask me any questions about when the light came on, if I noticed anything different about the way that the car was running, nothing. I did say that I noticed that the light came on after a trip to the gas station, and he said "Oh, that never happens." First thing that I did when I saw the light was pull out the owner's manual - and the manual stated that the check engine light can come on because the gas cap wasn't on tight enough, or because something got wet. If this is what the manual states, and numerous other sources say the same thing, I find it odd that this mechanic "never heard of that happening". I'm not saying that it IS the problem, I just find it odd how he responded.
He said that he'd need my car for a day so that he'd have time to figure out what was going on with the car, and again, he doesn't have much luck with these things...at that point, I'm becoming rather uncomfortable with his explanation. He can't offer me a satisfactory explanation of what codes came up, what could be wrong, or how it would impact the operation of my vehicle. He did say that it would need a part that would cost $300. That's about the only part of his explanation that I understood. He then said that it's a common problem and that "they wouldn't stock the part if it wasn't a common problem." If there's truly something that needs to be fixed, that's fine, but at this point I really want a second opinion. I told him so, the codes were cleared, and I opted to drive the car to see if the check engine light reappears and do a little more research, because I'm not just willing to throw $300 away on something that he "has no luck with". My fiance drove it around last night, and I drove it another 50 miles today; so far, no check engine light.
I know that there are some lessons learned for me here. I plan to get one of those code readers and I plan on getting a lot of feedback from people I know WRT finding a new garage. Am I right in feeling uncomfortable with this whole exchange?
This mechanic is obviously clueless. Just find another shop.
Run Run Run away from this guy. He is not now and never has been a "mechanic". Do not take your car back there for any reason.
Anybody who can't give the raw DTC report codes to their customer, and cannot reasonably identify probable/likely causations for these has no business being in the automotive repair/diagnostics business. Better still, after getting those codes the mechanic should have performed some diagnostics to identify likely problem areas before telling you it needed a $300 part and a day of time to effect repairs.
You are correct in linking the fueling of your car to a possible DTC setting the "check engine light" warning. This is an emissions related issue, where the fuel tank vapor control system is no longer sealed. The result is possible fuel vapors being released into the atmosphere, although it is unlikely that this would cause any running problem with the car. Reinstalling the cap and clearing the code (if that was the code set) with the scanner would be a good place to start for a mechanic, to verify that they'd found the problem and corrected it.
As far as a failed $300 part, and the guy can't tell you what it is and how it relates to your car's emission codes and perfomance ... well, it just sounds to me like he's blowing smoke up your skirt. Maybe he needs another tuition payment for his kids or a boat payment is looming soon.
This guy doesn't even rise to the level of shady. There's auto pros who specialize in that end of the business, and at least they can give a song-and-dance which has some sense of credibility ... which this fellow apparently cannot do. I envision somebody who can clean your windshield and leave it dirtier than when you brought the car in for service.
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