What do you do when your “check engine” light flicks on? If we’re being honest, a lot of the time you ignore it. You think to yourself, “the last time I got this checked out, it cost a lot of money.” What you probably haven’t considered is the fact that the longer you wait, the more expensive your repair will be.
The truth is, many major engine problems come from neglecting much smaller, cheaper repairs. By looking into your check engine light early on, you’ll probably save yourself a lot of money, time, and aggravation. Below are some of the most expensive repairs reported by CarMD’s Vehicle Health reported by Philly.com. And get this, they could have been prevented by routine maintenance.
1. Replace Ignition Coils and Spark Plugs
When a spark plug needs replacing, it will ignite your check engine light. While you can probably perform a simple spark plug replacement yourself for under $10, letting it go will cause serious damage to your ignition coil. This repair can cost over $400, and it will seem more expensive once you realize how easily that sum could have been avoided.
2. Replace Mass Air Flow Sensor
Right off the bat, we’ll tell you that this repair is expensive. And there was no simple trick you could have done to avoid the $420 cost. However, avoiding the repair will be much more expensive even if you don’t take your car to the mechanic. The Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor controls the air entering your engine and decides how much fuel needs to be injected. When your MAF Sensor is bad, your fuel economy diminishes and could be wasting up to a fourth of every gallon of gas. While $420 seems like a lot, imagine how much gas money you’ll be wasting by letting this repair go for a month or two, or longer.
3. Replace Catalytic Convertor(s)
This is another costly repair caused by the cheapest replacements in the book — the spark plugs and spark plug wires. However, this item will cost you upwards of $1,000. The catalytic converter reduces the toxins in your car’s emissions before they leave the exhaust system. These pieces are very expensive, which is why they’re one of the most commonly stolen car parts. According to Philly.com, this repair is responsible for 6% of check engine lights. Just think, ignoring a $10 repair could cost you $1,000.
We hope this post comes to mind the next time you see a light on your dashboard. Never ignore what your car is trying to tell you, especially if you need collision repair.
Yes you are right!!! Most of the problems occur when we neglect them. Replacing and repairing is the only option that we can go through but still we ignore and that is why this lead to major problems in future. Great tips you have explained in this post and I am sure these will definitely awake people towards the importance of car service and repair.