I have a 2002 Toyota Tacoma with close to 97,000 miles on it. The other day the Check Engine Light came on, so I took it into the Dealer Service Center. They said it would be $110 dollars to run the diagnostics, to be applied towards any repairs that would be needed. Two hours later they call to …

The next time the light comes on just drive it into an auto parts chain store. They will pull error codes out of it for free. (This is not “diagnostic” work - but the error codes are called “diagnostic trouble codes” (DTCs). Write down the exact codes (they look like “P1234”) and post them here. …

If this were to happen again in the future, how safe is it to just double check the gas cap and keep driving? …Turning the fuel cap to tighten it is not dangerous. The next time this happens, check the fuel cap.

You’re Not Alone. And It’s Not Just Toyota. Your Experience Is Repeated Everyday By Owners Of All Sorts Of Vehicles, All Across The Country. Cigroller Has Given You Some Good Advice. If you don’t want to be dependent on the dealer who charges $110 to read your codes or inconvenienced by going to a…

In addition to the good advice already given, I want to add that a steadily illuminated Check Engine Light (CEL) is really not an emergency situation, and it actually falls into the “check it and fix it at the earliest convenient opportunity” category. On the other hand, if your CEL is flashing/b…

If the check engine light is not flashing and no odd symptoms give it a week or so to settle. And yes check the gas cap. If still on get it checked out at your next convenience. A regular independent mechanic will sometimes check out your codes for free/quickly if you develop a relationship. I am l…

Yes, andrew_j. There are great benefit$ for establishing a professional rapport with a good mechanic. In the mean time, getting the codes from McParts stores and posting to a forum such as this could save quite a bit of money. However, when the loose cap, or any malfunction, trips the CEL it will r…

“it took about 10 days and a quarter tank of gas before the problem was even detected” That’s because the evaporative system does not get tested if the tank is near full.

conversely ; Today’s customer got towed in, rough running, won’t stay running, assuming fuel pump or the freshly full tank of possibly bad gas. parts and labor and towing about $600. After running the needed tests the tech ; Removed the bent up air filter and cleaned the bugs out of the air flo…

I don’t think anyone has addressed one of your questions. It could take several days depending on your driving habits for the CEL to come back on even if the problem wasn’t corrected. The light wouldn’t likely come back on in a short test drive the mechanic would have done after tightening the gas…

I just paid $110 for a mechanic to tell me my gas cap was loose!

Maintenance/Repairs

Caddyman November 5, 2011, 4:59pm 10

Ignorance can be very expensive…CEL’s are profit centers.

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I just paid $110 for a mechanic to tell me my gas cap was loose!

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