engine light on, should i take to a mechanic shop or the dealership?
 

hi guys quick question, i have 2003 Lexus just had the light on recently, are the mechanic shops able to scan and check the error codes on the engine or do i need to take it back to the dealership,

i prefer to take it to the mechanics to have it checked out and fixed because dealership will pretty much cost me an arm and a leg for the same work but if i have to i wont have a choice
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come to The Speed Syndicate we can diagnose that for ya

u can do it free instead of paying a shop 100 bucks for just diagnostics. buy bluetooth reader for ur android if u have one and download the obd scanner app.

ok, i'll make a trip over to the shop since it is convenient for me

Good thread, would read again.

Is this what your talking about?
Bluetooth Car Code Reader Compatible with Android / Droid / Torque: Amazon.ca: Electronics

If you are in a warranty period, then it can be worthwhile to take it to the dealership.

Cat converters are covered for 10 years at any dealership regardless of cause of defect. When we were at Nissan, it did need to show up on a computer as the problem, so there had to be a sensor behind the converter.

Depending on the dealer, and the issue and your warranty, of course things may be comped, or reduced in price.

Once you are at 7-10 years old, you are on your own. Depending on the severity of the recall, even they start running out.

At that point, either start learning about your car, or make nice with a mechanic.

Regular service...if you don't have a place to do it yourself, then a quick lube place is as good as any. I personally recommend watching them. I worked at one for a few months, and saw a car go out without oil. I would want to know that the guy below has tightened everything back up. Oh! And on the off chance you drive a fox body mustang...make sure they don't pull out your reverse gear. That happens an embarrassing amount.

Brakes and such...plenty of places that will have them on special. Same with muffler shops. Pit one price against the other and go for it.

you get some electrical tape and put it over the light. problem solved.

yup excdpt i got mine on ebay for 10 bucks. U can even charge friwnds friends 20-50bucks to check their light if ya wanted. Too bad ppl dont know much or lazy, and afraid to get their hands dirty so they go pay someone a 120bucks lol.
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ill even send ya guys cracked obd app i got. Found my issues multiple times.
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Ensure you have the gas cap tightened as well...
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Lots of indie shops will pull the codes for free. After all, it takes literally less than 30 seconds from the time you plug your scanner in and when the codes come up on screen.

take to private modder :troll:

a quick lube place? I highly recommend AGAINST going to those places. if you worked there, you should know that they hire untrained people, teach them the bare minimum, and then throw them into the fire.

And charging your "friends" upwards of 50 bucks to scan is so generous over a business charging upwards of 100. lol

FYI not all shops charge 100 bucks

if you have access to get the car scanned for free, great. see what you are working with first. hopefully its something minor.

now that i work at a dealership, i see check engine lights differently. People usually get frustrated why we charge the $120 to diagnose their vehicle up to an hour of time. Also they think we can do it on spot in 5 minutes. In reality, we need the car for a few hours, the technicians sometimes spend more than the the initial authorized 1 hour to run pin point tests, check with techline, check tsbs, and what not to actually find the problem and not throw random parts in. I don't even charge for the additional time unless its taking more hours. It's all about getting the car diagnosed properly. Sometimes dealerships are not so bad...

update: went to a shop, ended up a faulty o2 sensor, got it replaced, as of now, the problem seems to be gone

this. used it a few times with my first car when i was younger and quickly realized to never go back to those places again.

I have one of those, but I got it for half the price from DealExtreme...

I'm not sure which dealer you worked at.

Tell me which one spent more than an hour on a CEL so I can never go there?
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