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How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is usually between $88 and $111. The good news, Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Boise offers entirely complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help determine the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not correctly tightened to a more serious failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it good to get the proper code reading and diagnosis.

Is it safe to drive your Jeep Renegade with the check engine light on?

This question is not very simple because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be secure to drive. This is usually indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more serious problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a serious issue and it is recommended to service your Jeep Renegade promptly. Call the experts at Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Boise by dialing 2085100490 so you can describe the issues. Or decrease your speed and bring your Jeep to our certified mechanics as soon as possible.

Jeep Renegade Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are different regular causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other usually regular reasons for a Check Engine Light are damaged oxygen sensor, dirty mass airflow sensor, damaged head gasket, damaged emissions control part, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, or damaged spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Jeep Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and completely repair it as required to restore factory specifications. When this hits, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Jeep issue was totally fixed.

Every Jeep Renegade was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its crucial systems. The fast sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending essential data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, unfortunately that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what precisely is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Boise provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Exceptionally Knowledgeable Service professional.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Jeep Renegade?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Also, the check engine light could still be a warning of an essential problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty and expensive repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady and continuous glow generally means something less serious but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in significant trouble and useful service is needed swiftly. If your check engine light is flashing in your Jeep Renegade, we highly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Jeep service today. Below is a list of the most typical reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Jeep Renegade’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A broken catalytic converter is usually caused by invariably neglected maintenance, which is why Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Boise offers a free multi-point examination with every Jeep service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your Jeep Renegade will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your vehicle may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other delicate problems from overheating.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns more rapidly and your car will be less efficient when it comes to fuel economy. So what results if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A defective sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause meaningful damage to your catalytic converter and your Jeep Renegade's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the exactly right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A defective O2 sensor can still cause a vehicle to fail an emissions test.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your Jeep Renegade is every essential. Without a vehicle battery, your vehicle won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s vehicle batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't absolutely require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Jeep you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak extreme havoc on your Jeep Renegade if it’s not installed correctly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even impede the car from starting. If these issues sound familiar, bring your Renegade to Jeep and have our team of gifted certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might cost a little bit more but could help you save substantially from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are necessary for your Jeep Renegade. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your car. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run smooth. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or old, you will endure a conspicuous poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause blocked catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, leading to more costly repairs.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Jeep Renegade is what determines how much fuel is necessary to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to certain changes, like altitude. If your Jeep Renegade is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden fast replace in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a vital sign of a defective mass airflow sensor.
  • Your Jeep Renegade has a vacuum leak. Every Jeep Renegade has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system still helps lower unhealthy emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme cold.
  • One of the most regular and frequent cause is that your Jeep Renegade gas cap is loose, broken or missing. The gas cap for your Jeep Renegade serves various purposes. It prevents dangerous gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps control pressure within the fuel tank. What results if you have a defective fuel cap? If your gas cap is old or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump and be more pricey. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't costly. If your check engine light turns on quickly after you put gas in your Jeep Renegade, first thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

Since any check engine code has its own level of severity, it is ordinarily difficult to predict how many miles you can be safe in driving with the warning light on. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. If you check engine light is flashing, we endorse that you pull over and contact Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Boise to help determine if your car is safe to drive in or if we endorse a tow truck. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most normally misunderstood lights or indicators in your Jeep Renegade is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the vital onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a variety of different ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your Jeep Renegade. Some of these essential duties include controlling engine speed, ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing cohesion control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean an assortment of different things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as dangerous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Jeep Renegade, contact Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Boise. Contact Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Boise today! Our Jeep service department can assist you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing.

Check Engine Light Service Jeep Renegade

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Jeep Renegade and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Jeep owners, your heart sinks exceptionally because you may have explicitly idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep, tranquil breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is advised that you get your Jeep Renegade checked instantly. Ignoring that warning could end up causing extensive, extensive damage to costly engine parts.

When your Jeep Renegade's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t correct, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is generally labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that can expeditiously identify the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our Jeep auto repair mechanics at Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Boise. There are still a number of essentially inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you pick that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to determine the absolutely appropriate issue and repair it.

Jeep Renegade Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your Jeep Renegade starts flashing, that means that the problem needs attention promptly and your Jeep should be brought in rapidly. A flashing light indicates that the problem is very serious and if not taken care of promptly may result in significant and meaningful damage to the car. This blinking light ordinarily indicates a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can rapidly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an pricey and considerable repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can absolutely be the cause. A damaged, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is repeatedly flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Boise quickly by calling 2085100490. If the problem is entirely ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very costly repair.

Jeep Renegade Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating, exceptionally to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminate, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, again known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Renegade. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can properly represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you advantageous knowledge about your vehicle and will again allow that important Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, apparent and useful vehicle symptoms do not invariably accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of potential OBD codes, there are again hundreds of potential reasons for the light, including:

  • O2 Sensor
  • Ignition system faults
  • Emissions controls issues
  • Transmission issues
  • Bad Spark Plugs
  • Computer output circuit issues
  • Fuel and air metering systems problems
  • Old Battery
  • Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap

This is why it is vital for someone who does not have a lot of prevailing automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Boise at 2085100490 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a serious concern, you risk damaging your vehicle further by not repairing the issue right away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out quickly by a proficient certified Jeep mechanic.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your Jeep Renegade will ordinarily shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For instance, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will expeditiously turn itself off. Again, if your catalytic converter is working properly, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your Jeep Renegade light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Boise so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.