Engine warning light on in Almere — what now?

What does the engine warning light mean?

The engine warning light — often an orange engine symbol, sometimes 'check engine' — belongs to the engine management system. That system monitors dozens of sensors in your engine and exhaust. If it detects something outside normal values, the onboard computer stores a fault code and the light comes on.

Important: the light tells you that something is wrong, but not immediately what. The stored fault code points the way. That code has to be read with diagnostic equipment — so guessing is pointless and a read-out is the logical first step.

Orange, flashing or red — what's the difference?

The colour and behaviour of the light tell you how urgent it is:

• Steady orange — there's a fault, but you can usually drive calmly to a garage. Have it read soon; continuing to drive can make the damage worse.
• Flashing or red — this is a serious signal. There's an acute fault (for example a misfire) that can damage your engine or catalytic converter. Stop safely, don't drive on and have your car checked.

Unsure about the colour or behaviour? Give us a call — we'll tell you whether it's still safe to drive.

The most common causes

An engine warning light can have dozens of causes. These are the most common:

• Lambda sensor (oxygen sensor) — worn or fouled, disturbing the mixture.
• Ignition & spark plugs — worn plugs or coils, causing misfires.
• EGR valve — fouled or stuck, common on diesels.
• Throttle body — fouled or faulty.
• Loose or broken fuel cap — sometimes the cause is this simple, as the fuel system draws in air.
• Sensors — air mass meter, temperature or pressure faults.

Which one it is only shows up in the fault code. That's why we read it first before replacing anything.

Why you shouldn't ignore the light

It's tempting to ignore an orange light if the car drives 'fine'. Yet that's risky. A small fault left alone can grow into an expensive repair: an unresolved ignition problem can, for example, damage the catalytic converter, and that's a costly part.

On top of that, a car with a fault often runs less efficiently and can fail the APK (Dutch MOT) on emissions. Having the light read in time is almost always cheaper than waiting.

How AutoJet helps: read the fault codes and find the cause

At AutoJet in Almere we read the fault codes with professional diagnostic equipment and look for the real cause — not just replace a part because a code suggests it. The computer/engine diagnosis costs €70 and is free if you have the repair done with us. Enter your license plate and we see the make and model and give you a clear price up front.

Our labour rate is €70 per hour; replacing spark plugs, for example, costs €99. For complex work you get a price only after inspection. You never pay for work you haven't approved in advance. We speak Ukrainian, Russian and English — handy if Dutch isn't your first language.

See also: Engine diagnosis in Almere · Blog

Frequently asked questions about the engine warning light