2016 VW Golf Check Engine Light

Check Engine Light Service 2016 VW Golf

What do you do when you’re driving along in your VW Golf and hastily, a yellow light brightens on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most VW owners, your heart sinks a tiny because you have tiny 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 imply you have to pull the automobile over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2016 VW Golf checked as soon as attainable. Ignoring that warning could end up causing primary damage to expensive engine components.

When your 2016 VW Golf's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the computerized control system that it can’t relevant, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is naturally 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 inspect tool that is used by our VW auto repair mechanics at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you designate that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced skilled to pick the issue and repair it.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most customarily misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2016 VW Golf is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in various explicit ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light lights up in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your car. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored car performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your 2016 VW Golf. Some of these include shifting automatic transmissions ignition timing, controlling engine speed, and implementing stability control, just to name distinct. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of distinctive things. It can be as prevailing as your gas cap being loose or as critical as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2016 VW Golf, contact Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta. 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. Contact Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta today!

2016 VW Golf Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2016 VW Golf starts glaring, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your VW should be transported in urgently. A glaring light indicates that the problem is unhealthy and if not taken care of urgently may result in big damage to the vehicle. This blinking light ordinarily indicates a scrupulous engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can suddenly enhance the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is possible, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can really be the cause. A bad, former 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 incredibly expensive repair. If your check engine light is blinking, please contact our team of automotive experts at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta expeditiously by calling 7706299081.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2016 VW Golf?

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 damage to your engine and come with a exciting repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A consistent glow typically means something less treacherous but a flashing check engine light illustrates that your vehicle’s engine is in treacherous trouble and service is needed immediately. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2016 VW Golf, we chiefly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule VW service today. Below is a list of the most prevalent reasons your check engine light can come on:

• One of the most known and frequent cause is that your 2016 VW Golf gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2016 VW Golf 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 bad 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 suddenly after you put gas in your 2016 VW Golf, authentic 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.
• Your 2016 VW Golf has a vacuum leak. Every VW Golf has a vacuum system that performs a wide mixture of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower detrimental 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 bare out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to important heat or extreme cold.
• Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2016 VW Golf’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 serviced, your 2016 VW Golf 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 other problems from overheating.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2016 VW Golf is every compelling. 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 assorted decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of VW you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak havoc on your 2016 VW Golf if it’s not installed accurately. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound conscious, deliver your Golf to VW and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed accurately and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts authentic place might cost a scant bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are needed for your 2016 VW Golf. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel assortment 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 bad 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, large to more expensive repairs.
• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your VW Golf is what determines how much fuel is needed to run your engine efficiently by measuring the deposit of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to substantial changes, like altitude. If your VW Golf 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 bad mass airflow sensor.
• Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, established as the O2 sensor, measures the deposit of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less reasonable 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 2016 VW Golf's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the noble assortment of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.

Is it safe to drive your 2016 VW Golf with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a critical issue and it is recommended to service your VW Golf instantly. This question is not very plain 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 safe to drive. This is frequently 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 main problem. Call the experts at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta by dialing 7706299081 so you can describe the issues. Or lower your speed and bring your 2016 VW to our certified mechanics as soon as possible.

2016 VW Golf Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are copious feasible causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several normal causes including something as clear-cut as a loose gas cap. Alternative normal reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty emissions control part, dirty mass airflow sensor, damaged oxygen sensor, 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 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 2016 VW Golf was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its meaningful systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the technological control unit. If the technological 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 specifically 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 Excessively Qualified Service professional.

2016 VW Golf Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that microscopic light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly flashes, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear good 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 Golf. There are hundreds of other codes that your check engine light can indicate. While that sounds daunting, with a microscopic patience, tackling principal diagnostics will give you affectionate knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is absolutely supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, discernable and appropriate vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of likely OBD codes, there are also hundreds of likely reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is laborious for someone who does not have a lot 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! If the engine light comes on due to a alarming concern, you risk damaging your car extra by not repairing the issue proper away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out immediately by a certified VW mechanic.

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

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

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2016 VW Golf will commonly shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is revamped. 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 functional, 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 2016 VW Golf 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.

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

The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy subsequently. It could be anything from a detrimental sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. If you check engine light is shining, we recommend that you pull over and contact Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta to help hint if your car is secure to drive in or if we recommend a tow truck. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is troublesome to predict how many miles you can drive with the warning light on.