45% of americans do not care if their check engine light is on .
 

I just heard this on the radio tonight, and had a little chuckle .
Any of you? I put probably 30k on my 2500 Hd with the check engine light on.

Last time my check engine light came on I looked under the hood. It was still there.
Good enough for me.

Kind of hard to ignore when it is accompanied with X amount of starts left until engine is disabled......Thank you EPA, putzes....

I've found that a half inch piece of electrical tape fixes that pesky warning light

I used to own an Audi, so yes, I've driven with a CEL light on.
But on today's cars, isn't this all a bunch of BS? Just about every vehicle made today has some sort of screen on it, just tell me the error. Start the engine - the screen lights up - small evap leak - check your gas cap? or misfire bank 1 - you might want to get that checked out. Why, in this age of computerized everything, do we get nothing more than a light? Tell us the error, and maybe a "This isn't a big deal" "You should get this checked soon" and "Shut the engine off, I'm broken" level of severity.
Or for those of us who might still drive a VAG product, at least put a 2 digit counter next to the light, because the number is never zero.

I suppose my opinion would depend on the reason for that lit CEL. I had one on for about 2-3 yrs due to some stupid Evap Purge Valve. Didn't affect the operation or safety of the car, so I ignored it until I had to get the car smogged once again. Then I replaced it while doing some other routine maintenance that allowed me easy access to that thing. On the bright side, there is probably some merit to that doohickey, because my mileage improved by 3-4 mpg.

This little light of mine.
I'm gonna let it shine

Not in the last 10-15 years at least.

In years past, when I was driving cars that probably cost $1k- 3.5k, yeah, those may have had check engine lights on from time to time. Hell, I had an '87 Pontiac Grand Am with a 2.5L that had a cracked head, that I drove for at least a year, probably 2 with the cracked head. I'd put some ground pepper in the radiator and top up frequently. It ran the same as it ever had pre-crack. I sold it to someone that drove it like that for at least a year before it got T-boned.

I've got a OBDII scanner, but yeah, it's crazy that you can't get to a screen in the car for it to tell you the codes so you don't need a scanner.

ROFLMAO!!

Thanks

Nope. I care more about CEL than I do about my aching joints.

I don't even let my tire pressure get uneven.

rjp

Until you get a new vehicle that are dealership only codes not associated with the cel.

My rule of thumb. If the cel ain't blinking, and there's no red idiot lights. Good to go.

From the auction description of the new Volvo I bought.

My Silverado has had it's "check engine" light on for the past 5+ years.....still plugging away........225K on the clock....

45% of americans do not care if their check engine light is on .
 

Well, no CEL on my 911. Never leaked antifreeze, or power steering fluid and the ABS system is total maintenance free. The tire pressure monitor is the same pressure gauge I have had for 25 years.

The El Camino has my home brew fuel injection system, adapted from a throttle body system on the 6 cylinder Elky and adapted to the 350. It has a CEL that works fine, but I keep it working in perfect condition and no CEL light for my car.

So no, no CEL for me on either car. And the Macan is way too new to have any issues.

My new Taco has so many buzzers and bells I feel like Pavlovs pooch!

Mrs Beard's BMW has a bad temp sensor in one of the DEF tanks. If you fill the tank, it will go out.

The thing is, if I fix the electrical gizmo that is causing the engine light to be on in my Mercedes, I am filled with existential dread about when its going to come on next. Better just to live in a state of failure.

In its defense, P0171 and P0174's are not to be ignored.

You can even plot a chart of the trims on one of those nifty OBD devices.

in a reasonable modern subaru if the check engine light is on the cruise control is disabled. i like and use the cruise control daily.

so yes! i fix the darn thing. i got a "starter circuit" fault one day...the car was running at the time??

I put about 80K on my old Subaru with the CEL on. I'd pull codes occasionally and it would always come back with the same emissions codes. I tell my kids "Worry about engine temp and oil. If the CEL comes on it's mostly emissions related"

I loaned the Subie to a nephew once so he and his friends could go somewhere. He calls me and says "hey your check engine light is on" I tell him "Pull over and pop the hood". He pulls over, pops the hood and says "what now" I say "is the engine still there?" he says "you're an ass".

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