engine light


  #1  
Old 03-04-02, 05:33 AM
fran marchionne
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engine light

i have a 97 toyota rav 4 and the engine light came on last week but the car seemed fine but yesterday it stalled on me several time and i bearly got home. the engine sounds funny like a grinding sound i tried to start it up this morning but it dosen't sound right so i called a repair shop and they are going to tow it and see what's wrong. my question is does anyone know if this is a major problem. i don't have any trust in repair shops i just think they are out to double talk the customer and charge the most because most of us no nothing about car repair. could someone give me some answers about my problem and about how much it should cost to repair. by the way i have no warrinty on my car. thanks fran
 
  #2  
Old 03-04-02, 08:27 AM
Joe_F
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Whoa...please punctuate your sentences. That was rough to read!

The check engine light means there is failure in the emission control system. On this year vehicle you need a scanner or code reader to determine what is setting the light on.

Your problem could be very simple or very complicated, need more description of what it is.

As for not trusting shops, you have to know your end of the business and how to talk to them. That doesn't mean you have to be a whiz about cars.

If you want to know how I taught someone to deal with a tough situation, look up the whole transmission saga on poster "AmyCar" (search by poster and put this name in). You'll see how I taught her to talk to her mechanic and the good results she got.
 
  #3  
Old 03-04-02, 08:29 AM
joelp
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While I can understand your concern, the fact that you have a check engine light on and you did nothing isn't going to help you. My suggestion would be to take it to the dealer. Believe it or not, there are good ones out there that look out for the customer. I have had nothing but positive experiences with my Honda Dealer. In any case the check engine light indicates something amiss in one of the controls in your system. In most cases, driving with it on is OK for a short while, but can lead to more serious problems and failure of other components. Get it checked out by a mechanic who is certified on Toyota products.
 
 

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