Why is My Service Engine Soon Light On?

Not all check engine lights are the same!

Some, such as the “service engine soon light,” could mean it’s time for routine maintenance…

…and it could also mean your car’s gas mileage is being affected.

Even one or two additional miles per gallon adds up over time.

That could total 12 – 24 more miles you can drive per tank of gas (or a saving of $3 or more per fill-up).

Most cars require multiple scheduled maintenance services which are hardcoded in the car’s computer system to turn on the service engine soon light when they are due…

…and are documented in the vehicle’s owner’s manual.

Let’s see what you can learn before searching the net for car tune-up shops near me

My service engine soon light turned on but my car feels fine, is something broke?

To answer this question let’s break it up:

  • Your code may only mean scheduled maintenance is required.
  • And, no it doesn’t necessarily mean anything is broken.
  • I know a check engine light is scary but they are not all the same.
  • Some lights only mean it’s time for scheduled maintenance such as an engine tune-up.

Preventive Maintenance

Here’s a list of preventive maintenance most cars need (and in Phoenix heat) sometimes more often than recommended:

Phoenix Auto Repair Shop

Minor Maintenance

  • Tire & Pressure Check
  • Engine Oil & Filter Change
  • Engine Tune-Up
  • Fuel Filter Change
  • Air Filter Replacement
  • Cabin Air Filter Replacement
  • Fan Belt Inspection & Replacement
  • Suspension Check
  • Wiper Blades
  • Brake Inspection
  • Transmission Fluid & Filter Change
  • Battery Check & Terminal Cleaning

Mid to Major Maintenance

Note: Not all maintenance actions are listed.

Every car manufacturer has their schedule for when certain maintenance is due and will alert you via a service engine soon light when your car’s odometer passes a certain mileage (or is listed in the owner’s manual).

When cars age or get high mileage, service engine soon lights for an engine tune-up, timing belt replacement, and transmission maintenance are very important (these services should never be ignored).

Preventive maintenance could save the DIY mechanic money on costly engine or transmission repairs and keep you from getting stranded in the Phoenix heat…

…not to mention wasting gas because your engine needs a tune-up.

Not every check engine light means there is an emergency!

As covered in this post, some dash lights are just alerting that a regularly scheduled maintenance is due. If you had a scan tool you could pull the codes to determine what was causing the light to come on.

To find out more about your car’s scheduled maintenance schedule check your vehicle’s glove compartment for a manual.

Video About Service Engine Soon Lights…

More About Service Engine Soon
Okay today we’re talking about cars and how stupidly retarded it is when they decide to not be cool and work as you can see my little I don’t know we just called that what is that the witness the real fluids light is flashing you which it tends to do that even though most of my fluids are always cool so it’s the funny word by the way so um anyways so yeah I think maybe I need more coolant but that doesn’t seem right because I just filled it up and then maybe I need more windshield fluid but that doesn’t seem right either because I thought I feel that up but then that would seem right because it has been winter and I have been eating it oh look at turned off it keeps doing that turn on and turn off and turn on anyway so the other life that is on over here I don’t know if you can read that but it says service engine soon and normally if you know anything about cars it’ll say that whenever you have your car semi on will their semi on and then there’s like a third of the way on which means you have everything on but you don’t have the engine actually running and so that lights has done and as you can tell i’m actually driving so my car is on my engine is serviced i guess you can say that and but yeah I don’t know what’s wrong with it I also know that sometimes that light turns on when you leave your gas cap off or you don’t twist it all the way because like it does a few clicks if you twisted it completely and I think last night I didn’t twist it completely but when I got out of the car and I got home I twisted it right and it wasn’t on this morning when I drove up to work so I don’t know anyway so it’s off.

 

Want to learn more about check engine lights, I recommend reading: Why is My Check Engine Light Flashing?

DIY Tip:

Add reminders on your cell phone calendar so you never miss a maintenance.

Don’t be stranded in the Phoenix HEAT because you ignored a check engine light!

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