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What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most naturally misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2014 VW Passat is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few discrete 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 2014 VW Passat. Some of these include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of substitute things. It can be as easy as your gas cap being loose or as important as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2014 VW Passat, contact Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta. Contact Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta today! Our VW service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing.

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

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

2014 VW Passat Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2014 VW Passat starts shining, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your VW should be brought in suddenly. A shining light illustrates that the problem is perilous and if not taken care of suddenly may result in suitable damage to the vehicle. This blinking light usually indicates a relentless engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be discarded into the exhaust system. There it can instantly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is conceivable, requiring an expensive repair. A Bit owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can explicitly be the cause. A bad, departed or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. 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 very expensive repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive consultants at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta suddenly by calling 7706299081.

2014 VW Passat Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are plentiful conceivable causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several regular causes including something as authentic as a loose gas cap. Additional regular reasons for a Check Engine Light are a malfunction with the fuel injection system, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty head gasket, damaged oxygen sensor, faulty emissions control part, or defective spark plugs to name a few. 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 crucial 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 2014 VW Passat was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its difficult systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the mechanical control unit. If the mechanical 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 awry 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 Remarkably Qualified Service licensed.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2014 VW Passat?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as straightforward as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a treacherous problem that could cause treacherous wear and tear to your engine and come with a big repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A persistent glow commonly means something less treacherous but a twinkling check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in treacherous trouble and service is basic expeditiously. If your check engine light is twinkling in your 2014 VW Passat, we highly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule VW service at this moment. Below is a list of the most sufficient reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2014 VW Passat is every severe. 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 a few decades ago, and they don't truly require maintenance. The rate of a new one depends on the type of VW you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
  • Your catalytic converter is harmful or going harmful. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2014 VW Passat’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 frequently 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 repaired, your 2014 VW Passat 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 distinctive problems from overheating.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be interchanged. 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 faster and your vehicle will be less adequate 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 2014 VW Passat's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to illustrate the good mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A harmful O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be interchanged. The mass airflow sensor in your VW Passat 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 conclusive changes, like altitude. If your VW Passat is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a abrupt change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a harmful mass airflow sensor.
  • One of the most commonplace and copious cause is that your 2014 VW Passat gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2014 VW Passat 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 harmful 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. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on swiftly after you put gas in your 2014 VW Passat, first 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.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are necessary for your 2014 VW Passat. 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 harmful or old, you will experience 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 clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, principal to more expensive repairs.
  • Issues with each aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or distinctive item can wreak havoc on your 2014 VW Passat if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can dump the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prohibit the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound commonplace, bring your Passat to VW and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed properly and aren't causing each issue. Getting accessories, notably aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might rate a little bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
  • Your 2014 VW Passat has a vacuum leak. Every VW Passat has a vacuum system that performs a enormous assortment of functions. The vacuum system also helps reduce down 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 dry out and crack, notably if they’re exposed to compelling heat or extreme brisk.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2014 VW Passat will ordinarily shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. 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 realistic, 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 2014 VW Passat light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you commute 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.

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

The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not properly tightened to a more relentless failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it excellent to get the essential code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is frequently between $88 and $111. The excellent news, Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help imply the cause of your check engine light.

Is it safe to drive your 2014 VW Passat with the check engine light on?

This question is not very easy because it each depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be strong to drive. This is consistently indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the car, it could be an indication of a more relevant problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a relevant issue and it is recommended to service your VW Passat promptly. Call the experts at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta by dialing 7706299081 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your 2014 VW to our certified mechanics as soon as accessible.

Check Engine Light Service 2014 VW Passat

What do you do when you’re driving along in your VW Passat and suddenly, 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 cost 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 2014 VW Passat checked as soon as possible. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major damage to expensive engine components.

When your 2014 VW Passat'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 identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic observe tool that is used by our VW auto repair mechanics at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta. There are also a number of comparatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you prefer that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced persuasive to find out the issue and repair it.

2014 VW Passat Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly brightens, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear noble 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 Passat. There are hundreds of distinctive codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you accessible knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is surely supposed to do: be your guide. Sadly, usable and cooperative vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of viable OBD codes, there are also hundreds of viable reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is fundamental for someone who does not have a few of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. If the engine light comes on due to a unhealthy concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue good away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out swiftly by a certified VW mechanic. Call Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta at 7706299081 at this moment or schedule your check engine light service online today!