Is it safe to drive your VW Touareg with the check engine light on?
This question is not very intelligent 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 constantly indicated by a persistent 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 powerful problem. If the check engine light is blinking, this means that there is a powerful issue and it is recommended to service your VW Touareg rapidly. 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 soon as essential.
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 accurately tightened to a more efficient failure like a detrimental catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it marvelous to get the appropriate code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is normally between $88 and $111. The marvelous news, Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help mean the cause of your check engine light.
Will the check engine light reset itself?
The check engine light on your Volkswagen Touareg will usually 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 essential, 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 Touareg light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that discharge and the light is still on, you will need to deliver it in to Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.
Volkswagen Touareg Check Engine Light Codes
The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that tiny light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminates, 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, also known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Touareg. There are hundreds of clear codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a tiny patience, tackling acceptable diagnostics will give you cogent knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is surely supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, conspicuous and cooperative 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:
- Transmission issues
- Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
- Emissions controls issues
- Old Battery
- Bad Spark Plugs
- O2 Sensor
- Computer output circuit issues
- Ignition system faults
- Fuel and air metering systems problems
This is why it is engaging for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out expeditiously by a 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 precarious concern, you risk damaging your car added by not repairing the issue right away.
What could cause the check engine light to come on in a VW Touareg?
When your check engine light comes on, this could be as realistic as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a critical problem that could cause critical damage 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 steady glow frequently means something less critical but a flashing check engine light suggests that your vehicle’s engine is in critical trouble and service is fundamental suddenly. If your check engine light is flashing in your Volkswagen Touareg, we tremendously recommend not to commute the vehicle and schedule VW service today. Below is a list of the most accepted reasons your check engine light can come on:
- One of the most prevailing and many cause is that your Volkswagen Touareg gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your VW Touareg 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 immediately after you put gas in your VW Touareg, first thing you should check is to make positive the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
- The battery is low or dead. The battery in your VW Touareg is every extraordinary. 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 surely 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 Volkswagen Touareg has a vacuum leak. Every VW Touareg has a vacuum system that performs a expansive 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 arid out and crack, chiefly if they’re exposed to splendid heat or extreme cold.
- New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are mandatory for your VW Touareg. 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, fundamental to more expensive repairs.
- Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be interchanged. The Oxygen sensor, established 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 productive 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 VW Touareg's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the right 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.
- Issues with each aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or alternative item can wreak havoc on your Volkswagen Touareg if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can dump the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even impede the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound prevailing, bring your Touareg to VW and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing each issue. Getting accessories, chiefly aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might value a little bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
- Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your VW Touareg’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 fixed, your VW Touareg 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 mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be interchanged. The mass airflow sensor in your VW Touareg is what determines how much fuel is mandatory 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 clear-cut changes, like altitude. If your VW Touareg is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a immediate change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
Check Engine Light Service Volkswagen Touareg
What do you do when you’re driving along in your VW Touareg and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most VW owners, your heart sinks a microscopic because you have microscopic 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 VW Touareg checked as soon as possible. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major damage to expensive engine components.
When your VW Touareg's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t fair, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is normally 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 analyze tool that is used by our VW auto repair mechanics at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta. There are also a number of somewhat honest code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you find out that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced skilled to find out the issue and repair it.
VW Touareg Check Engine Light Flashing
Although there are many potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several well-known causes including something as authentic as a loose gas cap. Alternative well-known reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty head gasket, 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 imperative 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 Volkswagen Touareg 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 electronic control squad. If the electronic control squad 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 erroneous 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 mechanical.
What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?
One of the most usually misunderstood lights or indicators in your Volkswagen Touareg is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few 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 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 VW Touareg. Some of these include ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, and implementing stability control, just to name numerous. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of contrasting things. It can be as accepted as your gas cap being loose or as stern as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your VW Touareg, contact Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta. Contact Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta today! Our VW service department can help you determine what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is blinking.
Volkswagen Touareg Check Engine Light
A twinkling light implies that the problem is alarming and if not taken care of hastily may result in major damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your VW Touareg starts twinkling, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your VW should be delivered in hastily. This flashing light usually indicates a exacting engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be discharged into the exhaust system. There it can quickly improve the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where wear and tear is attainable, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can precisely 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 shining, please contact our team of automotive specialists at Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta expeditiously by calling 7706299081.
How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?
If you check engine light is flashing, we recommend that you pull over and contact Nalley Volkswagen of Alpharetta to help choose if your vehicle is capable to drive in or if we recommend a tow truck. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is laborious to predict how many miles you can drive with the warning light on. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. It could be anything from a destructive sensor to plug wires needing to be replenished.