VW Golf SportWagen Check Engine Light

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

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

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

This question is not exceptionally simple 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 safe to drive. This is generally 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 serious problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a serious issue and it is advised to service your VW Golf SportWagen instantly. Call the experts at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta by dialing 7706299081 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your VW to our certified mechanics as in the near future as possible.

Check Engine Light Service VW Golf SportWagen

What do you do when you’re driving along in your VW Golf SportWagen and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most VW owners, your heart sinks drastically because you may have explicitly 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, calm breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your VW Golf SportWagen checked rapidly. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major, extensive damage to expensive engine components.

When your VW Golf SportWagen'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 typically 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 can quickly identify the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our VW auto repair mechanics at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta. There are again a number of comparatively inexpensive 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 experienced professional to determine the precisely correct issue and repair it.

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

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

VW Golf SportWagen Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your VW Golf SportWagen starts flashing, that means that the problem needs attention rapidly and your VW should be brought in rapidly. A flashing light reveals that the problem is remarkably serious and if not taken care of rapidly may result in major and meaningful damage to the car. This blinking light frequently reveals a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can swiftly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an pricey and major repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can precisely be the cause. A faulty, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is always flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta immediately by calling 7706299081. If the problem is totally ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a extremely pricey repair.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most ordinarily misunderstood lights or indicators in your VW Golf SportWagen is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the important onboard diagnostics system, and displays in an assortment of different 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 an assortment of things for your VW Golf SportWagen. Some of these essential duties include shifting automatic transmissions ignition timing, controlling engine speed, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a wide range of different things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as dangerous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your VW Golf SportWagen, 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.

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

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Again, the check engine light could still be a warning of a meaningful problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty and expensive repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady and continuous glow usually means something less serious but a flashing check engine light signifies that your vehicle’s engine is in serious trouble and useful service is needed immediately. If your check engine light is flashing in your VW Golf SportWagen, we immensely suggest not to drive the vehicle and schedule VW service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:

• Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your VW Golf SportWagen’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A broken catalytic converter is usually caused by regularly neglected maintenance, which is why Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta offers a free multi-point inspection with each VW service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your VW Golf SportWagen will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your vehicle may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other perilous problems from overheating.
• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak extreme havoc on your VW Golf SportWagen if it’s not installed accurately. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the car from starting. If these issues sound familiar, bring your Golf SportWagen to VW and have our team of accomplished certified mechanics guarantee that your aftermarket items were installed accurately and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, particularly aftermarket parts and accessories, or utilizing OEM parts first place might cost a little bit more but could help you save substantially from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
• Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. 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 more instantly and your car will be less efficient when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A broken sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause serious damage to your catalytic converter and your VW Golf SportWagen's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the precisely correct mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A broken O2 sensor can again cause a vehicle to fail an emissions test.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your VW Golf SportWagen is each essential. Without a vehicle battery, your vehicle won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s vehicle batteries last much longer than they did a few 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.
• Your VW Golf SportWagen has a vacuum leak. Each VW Golf SportWagen has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system again helps lower unhealthy 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, particularly if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme cold.
• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your VW Golf SportWagen 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 certain changes, like altitude. If your VW Golf SportWagen is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden rapid change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a important sign of a broken mass airflow sensor.
• One of the most common and frequent cause is that your VW Golf SportWagen gas cap is loose, broken or missing. The gas cap for your VW Golf SportWagen serves different purposes. It prevents perilous 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 broken 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 and be more expensive. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't pricey. If your check engine light turns on swiftly after you put gas in your VW Golf SportWagen, first 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.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are necessary for your VW Golf SportWagen. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your car. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run smooth. 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 a evident 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, leading to more pricey repairs.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your VW Golf SportWagen will normally shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For instance, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will immediately turn itself off. Also, if your catalytic converter is working properly, 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 VW Golf SportWagen 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.

VW Golf SportWagen Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are many common causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other generally common reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, dirty mass airflow sensor, damaged oxygen sensor, damaged emissions control part, or damaged 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 totally repair it as necessary 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 completely fixed.

Every VW Golf SportWagen was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its essential systems. The speedy sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending important 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. Nevertheless, sadly that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what explicitly is wrong 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 Highly Qualified Service professional.

VW Golf SportWagen Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating, especially to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminate, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right 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, again known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Golf SportWagen. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can properly represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you useful knowledge about your car and will again allow that essential Check Engine Light to do what it is absolutely supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, obvious and useful car symptoms do not regularly accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of imaginable OBD codes, there are again hundreds of imaginable reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is vital for someone who does not have a lot of prevalent automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out swiftly by a adept certified VW mechanic. 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 serious concern, you risk damaging your vehicle further by not repairing the issue right away.