Service Engine Soon for Dummies

Check Engine Light

In case you never noticed, every modern (that is, post about 1985) vehicle on the road now has a warning light on the dashboard. Many, if not most, are an icon of an engine printed with the words "check engine soon" or "service engine soon." If the light comes on while you're driving, it means that an onboard sensor network has determined that something is out of whack. It's not possible to determine what's wrong without a device called an OBD-II code reader. All that seems to have been lost on eHow.com's Darla Himeles, whose "What Does Service Engine Soon Mean?" just nibbled around the edges.

Himeles, a poet by trade, opened by telling her readers that,

"Different car brands and models have slightly different names for the 'service engine soon' warning,... Note the exact phrase and the color of the light (usually red, orange or yellow) when talking with your mechanic."

Really? Your mechanic cares what the wording is? and what color your CEL light is? We kinda doubt it... But, then, Darla pounded out this little warning:

"Generally, if the light stays lit for at least several minutes [sic] at a time, this means you need to schedule a checkup for your car."

Well, not necessarily: most auto-parts stores will loan you a code reader so drivers with can diagnose the problem for themselves. It's not, as the kids say, "rocket science." It also ain't poetry... Himeles then misinformed her readers that,

"If the SES light is red, your car's problem is serious."

Only a few manufacturers have a CEL that changes color if the problem is (relatively) serious. On the rest, the light blinks to earn drivers of a more serious problem. Regardless, a driver cannot tell what prompted the light without that code reader. FWIW, Darla's warning about red lights came from a source that mentioned red warning lights for the brakes or engine overheating, not a red color on the CEL. And finally, Darla spun out this utter bullcrap:

"The yellow or orange 'service engine soon" light may mean something is wrong with your anti-lock brake or safety restraint systems..."

No, Darla, those systems have their own warning lights – usually red, which is where you got that last rubbish.

Once again an unqualified freelancer has botched a simple answer by failure to understand not just the question, but the answer she was trying to reword. You know what that makes Himeles? If you said "Dumbass of the Day," you're spot on.

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