My Enigne Light Is On And I Don't Know Why

The check engine light is a scam, in my opinion. I have driven cars for five years after the light came on with no problems. It's a great way to get you to take your car in to your local dealership, so they can rip you off.

Here's the problem with this light. At least 95% of the time, it has NOTHING to do with an engine problem. It's usually tripped by a faulty oxygen sensor or even something stupid, like not tightening your gas cap when you fill up. 

It is also sometimes set to go off automatically at a certain mileage. Some go on at 60,000 miles, 120,000 miles and so on. It's a sleazy way to get you back to the dealer so they rake you over the coals for work you don't even need. 

If your car is running well and there isn't any blue or white smoke coming out of your exhaust, ignore the light and live with it. If you take it to your local mechanic, he will charge you hundreds of dollars to "diagnose" the problem and then tell you that you need another $500 in parts to fix it. What he doesn't tell you is that he can reset the light in a blink of an eye, whether he does any work on your car or not. SCAM!

Take it to any AutoZone, they do a free check engine light test. They can usually tell you what it is on for, usually something small like a loose ground wire or something. Just take it to AutoZone and they'll check it for free, and yes, they have a scanner that will check it.