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2012 VW Tiguan Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2012 VW Tiguan starts flashing, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your VW should be brought in swiftly. A flashing light indicates that the problem is perilous and if not taken care of swiftly may result in large damage to the car. This blinking light usually illustrates a rigid engine misfire allowing unused fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can expeditiously raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can actually be the cause. A bad, former or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive specialists at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta promptly by calling 7706299081. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a hugely expensive repair.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2012 VW Tiguan?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as easy as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a unsafe problem that could cause unsafe damage to your engine and come with a substantial repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A dependable glow mostly means something less unsafe but a flashing check engine light hints that your vehicle’s engine is in unsafe trouble and service is mandatory quickly. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2012 VW Tiguan, we very recommend not to drive the car and schedule VW service today. Below is a list of the most classic reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • One of the most natural and frequent cause is that your 2012 VW Tiguan gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2012 VW Tiguan serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a aggressive fuel cap? If your gas cap is historic or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't lavish. If your check engine light turns on expeditiously after you put gas in your 2012 VW Tiguan, earliest thing you should check is to make convinced the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • Your catalytic converter is aggressive or going aggressive. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2012 VW Tiguan’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is usually caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every VW service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it fixed, your 2012 VW Tiguan will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause alternative problems from overheating.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the payment of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less possible when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause damage to your catalytic converter and your 2012 VW Tiguan's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to mean the proper mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A aggressive O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
  • Issues with all aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or alternative item can wreak havoc on your 2012 VW Tiguan if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can discharge the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even stop the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound commonplace, bring your Tiguan to VW and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing all issue. Getting accessories, exceptionally aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts earliest place might cost a little bit more but could save you money from having to get meager work and damage caused by meager installation work corrected.
  • Your 2012 VW Tiguan has a vacuum leak. Every VW Tiguan has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower harmful 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 barren out and crack, exceptionally if they’re exposed to important heat or extreme frigid.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your VW Tiguan is what determines how much fuel is crucial to run your engine efficiently by measuring the payment of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to definite changes, like altitude. If your VW Tiguan is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a fast change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a aggressive mass airflow sensor.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are crucial for your 2012 VW Tiguan. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are aggressive or historic, you will experience meager 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 clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, principal to more lavish repairs.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2012 VW Tiguan is every imposing. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did some decades ago, and they don't truly require maintenance. The rate of a new one depends on the type of VW you commute, but check our modern service coupons and specials.

2012 VW Tiguan Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are copious capacity causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are innumerable simple causes including something as uncomplicated as a loose gas cap. Contrasting simple reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, damaged oxygen sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty emissions control part, or defective spark plugs to name various. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the VW Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as needed to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your VW issue was fixed.

Every 2012 VW Tiguan was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its troublesome systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending 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, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what exactly is mistaken nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Extremely Qualified Service skilled.

Is it safe to drive your 2012 VW Tiguan with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a hazardous issue and it is recommended to service your VW Tiguan suddenly. This question is not very straightforward 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 dependable to drive. This is customarily 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 hazardous problem. Call the experts at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta by dialing 7706299081 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your 2012 VW to our certified mechanics as soon as capacity.

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

Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how many miles you can commute with the warning light on. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. If you check engine light is flashing, we determine that you pull over and contact Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta to help determine if your vehicle is safe to commute in or if we determine a tow truck. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly.

2012 VW Tiguan Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard hastily lights up, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear correct 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, also known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Tiguan. There are hundreds of contrasting codes that your check engine light can mean. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling definite diagnostics will give you bizarre knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is actually supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, conspicuous and apt vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of comfortable OBD codes, there are also hundreds of comfortable reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is decisive for someone who does not have assorted of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta at 7706299081 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out quickly by a certified VW mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a perilous concern, you risk damaging your vehicle added by not repairing the issue honest away.

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

The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is frequently between $88 and $111. The accomplished news, Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help favor 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 unhealthy failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it accomplished to get the accessible code reading and diagnosis.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most typically misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2012 VW Tiguan is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in various assorted 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 2012 VW Tiguan. Some of these include controlling engine speed, ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can endorse a variety of divergent things. It can be as authentic as your gas cap being loose or as treacherous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2012 VW Tiguan, contact Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta. Our VW service department can help you read what code is turning your check engine light on or probe why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta today!

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2012 VW Tiguan will commonly shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is repaired. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going reasonable, 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 2012 VW Tiguan 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 Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Check Engine Light Service 2012 VW Tiguan

What do you do when you’re driving along in your VW Tiguan and quickly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most VW owners, your heart sinks a little because you have little idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the price of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep 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 recommended that you get your 2012 VW Tiguan checked as soon as possible. Ignoring that warning could end up causing substantial wear and tear to expensive engine components.

When your 2012 VW Tiguan's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t suitable, 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 identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic investigate tool that is used by our VW auto repair mechanics at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta. There are also a number of comparatively slight 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 professional professional to imply the issue and repair it.