Walnut Creek Auto Repair

Check Engine Light Diagnostics and Repair in Walnut Creek

Welcome to Frank’s Auto Service – the premier Walnut Creek auto repair shop. Among many services, we provide full check engine light diagnostics and repair – whether the cause is something minor like the gas cap, or something major, like the catalytic converter problem.

Our technicians use state-of-the-art digital equipment to diagnose check engine light problems. There are literally hundreds of conditions that can illuminate the check engine light. Our technicians combine their experience, with extensive training, and the latest digital tools to professionally test your vehicle and discover the root cause of the problem. 

While your vehicle is being tested, we also perform a complimentary digital vehicle inspection, and can email or text the results to you, so you know the overall health of your vehicle. 

Depending on the vehicle, the check engine light can look differently -  often it will say  “check engine”, sometimes it will be an icon of an engine with the word “check”, very often it will say “service engine soon”.  

What to do when Check Engine Light comes “on”? 

There are basically three scenarios, and two of them are bad: 

1. If the check engine light is flashing on and off, stop the car as soon as it is safe to do so, and turn off the engine. Get it towed to a repair shop. Driving with the check engine light flashing can cause serious damage. 
2. If the light is illuminated, just a steady illumination, however the engine is running rough, if you are near an auto repair shop, you should drive straight to the shop. Driving around with check engine light “on” and rough running engine can results in expensive repairs. 
3. If the check engine light is illuminated, but not flashing, and the car is running normally, then you can usually continue driving the car. Still, you should make an appointment with your trusted mechanic. Prolonged driving with the check engine light “on” can cause damage that will be expensive to repair. 

Why does the Check Engine Light come “on” and what is the root cause?

There are literally hundreds of conditions that can cause the check engine light to come “on” and stay “on”. The problems it signals can range from simple and easy to fix, all the way to major and expensive to repair.

Old gas cap is a surprisingly frequent cause of the check engine light coming on. Once you eliminate the gas cap as the culprit, things get complicated pretty quickly. Replacing the spark plugs will often fix the problem, but at this point, you really need the help of a professional – as there are hundreds of conditions that can illuminate the check engine light. 

Some owners buy a code scanner online – great, but the code that scanner can read is merely a road sign towards the vehicle’s subsystems, often multiple subsystems, that need to be tested by a professional to find out what is the root cause of the problem.  

That’s why we recommend that if your car has the check engine light illuminated, you take it to an auto repair shop. At the shop, a professional technician, often nationally ASE certified Master Technician, will use a professional code scanner to read all information stored in your car’s computer.  Professional code scanners can cost as much as $15,000, and they provide more information than the $69 scanners that can be bought online. Still, even with this additional info, a technicians will draw have to draw on the vast knowledge and experience accumulated during entire professional career to properly diagnose the check engine light’s root cause. 

We recognize that having the check engine light come “on” is not a happy occasion. 

At Frank’s Auto Service our nationally ASE certified technicians will professionally diagnose the root cause of the problem and provide you with clear answers on how to fix it. 

We provide free local shuttle when you drop off your car, and all repairs performed at our Walnut Creek auto repair facility are backed by 36 month / 36,000 mile warranty. 

So if the check engine light is “on” – bring your car to Frank’s Auto Service – we will take great care of you and your vehicle.  Call us to setup an appointment.