On the beater it has been on for about 120K miles. I can't remember exactly what for, heated 02 or bad cat, something in that department. I don't give a rip and I'm sales rep for a company that sells both. I wear 2 hats when it comes to that light. No emission testing here.

I owned a 2003 VW Passat for 5 years - bought used and put 50K mikes on the car. The check engine light was on more than it was off. All emission related issues.

I was working in Mexico for a few weeks during this time period and most of the taxis were VWs. Every taxi I was in had the check engine light on. Must be common i said to myself.

^ loved this answer.

In response to the OP, no it would drive me bonkers. I'd have to eliminate the problem asap.

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Yep, both of our cars TPMS show us each tire's pressure. If they are 1 psi different that's fine. If they get much over that, I plan to get them balance within a week.
Yep, I think my Boxster will have some of that.

I fixed my subie by putting a piece of black tape on the instrument panel where the CEL light is. Worked like a charm!

This thread is really astonishing to me. A bunch of car guys ignoring a warning light. Honestly I would have figured it was a resounding no to a CEL light on.

I understand that I am weird, but every system, control or feature on my cars, work as designed from the factory, or even better.

Instead of a cel they should use the $ as the indicator of how expensive it will be to fix, from: $ to $$$$$

:)

Had a 99 VW TDI. Took it to the dealer because the check engine light was on. Still under warranty it was. They kept it for a day and as I was driving it away the light came back on again. Had to leave it another day. That car would throw a CEL every week. Never another VW.

Can't pass NJ inspection if check engine light is on. Junked a running VW Jetta because of that. New cats were more than it was worth.

I know people that also think the oil light means add oil, or get it changed.

Our car currently has the CEL. It is because it doesn't warm up fast enough so I have to change the thermostat.

And the code will most likely go away as soon as the outside temps come back up .

I don't think so, it started 6 months ago. Thermostat is cheap though.

In my subie, I will worry when it shuts off. The jeep I expect to work as advertised day in day out so it I would have rectified.

But in the end, a CEL is never really a panic. Should be checked so you know why it popped, but even the lean codes pop to tell you that the car has experienced a lean bank and is needing to exceed the fuel schedule to correct it. A car smart enough to tell you it is lean is smart enough to correct it almost every time. The biggest impact to almost any CEL fault is most likely a small dip in mileage.

^^^ Correct. There are other lights on the dash that are a lot more important to react to.

That's partly because 2 of your 3 cars are too old to have CELs. If your Macan starts throwing CELs due to stupid but expensive electronic nanny stuff, you may change your tune.

It's partly why I like my '87 911 better than my '90. Soon after I bought my 964, some rubber air shroud/duct just above the fan in the engine compartment disintegrated. Or rather popped while I was driving, as it's slightly positively pressured, I think. Somehow that set off the knock sensor, which tripped the CEL. Even after I replaced the part, the CEL remained lit. I had to get the CEL extinguished at my mechanic (thanks, TRE) because I don't have the Durametric to do that.

You've described how you've owned 4 vehicles since the 70s and you still own 3 of them, and we all know that your remaining 3 vehicles are in top notch shape. You're clearly proud of this fact because you've posted it several times (which is fine, I'm not denegrating the fact that you've posted that info. I also find it very impressive). I would think that you'd be aware that you are by far a tiny minority not only out of the general population, but also even here with our group. You shouldn't really be that surprised.

Most folks have some vehicles that are nothing more than an appliance to them, and are mostly considered consumable and disposable. Also, I wouldn't want to spend a ton of money to keep an econobox that's probably half plastic and engineered to be disposable in perfect shape. Many of us probably maintain some cars to a higher standard, but not all of them. Part of the deal is maybe that you've got great cars that are worth maintaining?

It's the same in TX (at least where I am). If you've got a 2007/8 vehicle w/OBDII then your inspection is good as long as the CEL is not on (and your car shows as "READY" via a scanner) and then they also usually check tires, bulbs and wipers.

Actually, I'll be that they get it fixed regardless. Glenn is not typical in that regard. He'll probably gripe about it and say that's why he prefers his cars.

The check engine light on my 2003 Tacoma was on for so long ( 5-6 years i'm guessing) that the bulb finally burned out.

Inspections?? In MI...if you have the money for the plate...you are good to go.:D