Into the Garage
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the garage doors at the auto repair shop? Get a peek into what the technicians at Austin's Automotive Specialists in Austin, Texas, do every day! One of the most common tasks we do is engine diagnostics. In this post, we explain how we diagnose and fix check engine lights on all makes and models!
Check Engine Light Triggers
Before a car arrives in our shop, the check engine light comes on, alerting the driver that some kind of professional service is necessary. What causes that? There are so many reasons why a check engine light might come on. The computer system that tracks the health of major systems — the engine, exhaust, electrical, and so on — detects when something's wrong. Then it illuminates the check engine light.
Behind the Light
The only way to know what has triggered a check engine light is to use a scanner tool. You can purchase one at home or visit your local automotive professional to have them read the code behind your check engine light. The computer stores the information from the trigger, and the scanner retrieves this information so that the user — likely your technician — can see what's wrong. It might be a bad spark plug, catalytic converter, or oxygen sensor.
Engine Diagnostics
While some shops take a guess at what might be wrong with a car that has a check engine light on, using advanced diagnostic equipment like scanners helps our team get accurate information. Once we have the information from the car's computer, we can get under the hood to examine that part of the system more closely. If what we find supports the results from the car's computer, we know where to focus on repairs. That process saves you time and money!
Repairs
After reading the trouble code from your car's computer and performing an inspection ourselves, our team can begin repairs. Whether that means replacing one or two worn-out parts or rebuilding part of a system depends on the specific situation. You'll at least know with confidence what is going on with your vehicle, thanks to the diagnostic equipment!
Would you have imagined that fixing a check engine light is as simple as plugging in a device? Once the technicians at Austin's Automotive Specialists in Austin, Texas, know what the problem is, they can easily perform repairs! Visit our shop today for check engine light diagnosis.