It means your vehicle's onboard computer system has self-diagnosed some kind of problem. The "Check Engine" light, which is also called a "Malfunction Indicator Lamp" (MIL) or "Service Engine Soon" (SES) lamp, is there to signal you when a problem occurs that may require attention. This can include anything from a momentary hiccup that has has little or no noticeable affect on engine performance or driving safety to a failure of a major electronic component. There's no way to know what the light means without running a diagnostic scan on the system to determine the nature of the fault.

As a rule, a continuous Check Engine light usually signals a "hard fault" or failure that has occurred. If the light comes on and off, or only blinks momentarily, the problem may be minor or intermittent in nature.

To help identify the problem, it helps to make a mental note of the conditions that occurred when the light came on. Where you driving at a certain speed? Accelerating or slowing down? Shifting gears?

Onboard diagnostic systems are very complex and require a fair amount of expertise as well as special tools to troubleshoot. To find out what's wrong, a technician has to "get into" your system through a diagnostic connector which may be located under the dash, under the driver's seat or in the engine compartment. The diagnostic connector serves as a port of entry for accessing information and/or for putting your vehicle's computer system into a special diagnostic mode for further testing or displaying "fault codes".

Fault codes are numeric codes that are generated when a problem is detected. If a sensor circuit reads out of range or some electronic component fails to respond to a command from the computer, the computer recognizes it as a fault and records a number that corresponds to the nature of the problem. The technician must then retrieve the code and refer to specific diagnostic chart or "fault tree" that gives him the step-by-step checks he has to perform to isolate the failed component. It can be a very time-consuming process depending on the nature of the problem. Usually the process works but sometimes it doesn't. An intermittent fault can be very difficult to track down, and may require repeated attempts to repair it.

Before your next trip, don’t forget to check your fluids.

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Don't ignore it. An oil pressure warning light (or low gauge reading) means one of two things: either your engine has dangerously low oil pressure (for a variety of reasons which we'll get to in a minute), or the oil pressure sending unit that triggers the warning light (or operates your gauge) has failed.

The question here is whether you have a serious problem or a minor one.

First, do not keep driving if the oil warning light is on or your oil pressure gauge has dropped. Stop the engine, let it sit for a few minutes, then check the oil level.

Is the level low? If the oil level is down more than two quarts or no oil is showing on the dipstick, adding oil to bring the level back up to the full mark may be all that's necessary to make the light go out. Just keep your fingers crossed that you haven't damaged the engine from running it too low on oil. If you hear rapping or knocking noises the engine starts, you're too late. The damage is done and now you're stuck with the consequences.

Note: On some late model vehicles, the warning light will come on (or a message will appear) if a sensor in the oil pan detects a low oil level. The light is supposed to come on before the level gets low enough to cause any damage.

If your oil level was low, it means your engine is either leaking oil or burning it. Leaks can be fixed by finding and replacing leaky gaskets and seals. Sometimes the oil filter will leak if it isn't installed or tightened properly. But an oil burning problem means the valve guides, rings and/or cylinders are worn or damaged and more costly repairs are needed.

If the dipstick shows a full oil level, then low oil obviously isn't your problem. The oil pressure may be low because of a worn or broken oil pump, a plugged oil pickup screen in the engine's crankcase, possibly a plugged oil filter or excessive bearing wear. Or, the oil pressure may be fine but the oil pressure sending unit has failed. Further diagnosis will be required to determine what's wrong.

Should you attempt to drive your vehicle home or to a service facility?

It's risky. If the problem came on suddenly, your engine does not have a lot of miles on it (less than 60,000) and you noticed no unusual noises (no valvetrain clattering or engine knocking), there's a good chance that all that's wrong is the sending unit. But, there's no way to know for sure without actually checking the engine's oil pressure with a gauge, or replacing the sending unit to see if a new unit makes the light go out. If the problem is only the sending unit, your engine still has oil pressure and you can continue to drive it until the sending unit can be replaced. But, if you're wrong you risk ruining your engine.

If you think you might have a low oil pressure or oil delivery problem because of a bad oil pump or one of the other problems we mentioned, do not drive your vehicle. Doing so only increases the probability of further engine damage. Have the vehicle towed to a service facility for repairs.

Washing your car is a great and relaxing ritual.   You get out your soap, your towels, fill them up, start the water and get to work.  How do you get your car so shiny, those fine details, well, here’s how:

Professional detailers develop their own tricks for washing windows, ventilation grills, all things that make your car stand out.  To get your best results, use products that are designed for specific areas.  Also, name brand products are your safest bet, make sure and read labels to get the best finish.

So where do you start?  You start on the interior and work your way out.  Remove your floor mats and vacuum, everything, your seats, your parcel shelf, the entire car.  Then clean the interior surface with a damp cloth and mild all purpose cleaner.   The dash is a challenge, all those crooks and crevices.  You can use a small can of compressed air to clean out your vents and all the little curves.  Also, cotton swabs work best for those areas.  

When it comes to making a lasting impression, that shiny outside will do the trick.  After washing your vehicle, evaluate the paint.  Work in the shade and make sure the surface is cool.  Use carwash soap, not household detergent.  Work in sections from the top down.   Do a final rinse and dry with a chamois or soft thick nap terry cloth towel. 

Don’t forget the wheel wells.  Make them shine, use a metal polisher of glass cleaner to clean chrome wheels.  After washing, minor stains and scratches can be buffed out or polished. 

Don't forget the wheel wells. Get the crud out with an all-purpose cleaner and a good high-pressure dousing. After you've finished washing your car, apply a vinyl dressing to add some snap to the wells.

Wash the wheels (make sure they're cool) with a brush made for this purpose, but do not use acid-based cleaners on polished alloy wheels or wheels that are clearcoated. You can use these cleaners on rough-textured alloy wheels. Chrome wheels can be gleamed up with metal polish or glass cleaner.  Last of all, a thin coat of wax will give your car a car show finish!  Avoid getting polish on the black plastic areas of your car. 

Once all the fine details have been done, sit back and relax and enjoy your nice shiny car!

If your vehicle is correctly aligned the when it is manufactured, you should not have to change the alignment until something in the suspension wears out of is damaged.  The alignment doesn’t change, the only thing that changes is the wear of damage.  Hitting a pot hole or a thousand pot holes won’t knock your suspension or alignment out, unless you hit something hard enough to bend metal. 

On the other hand, you should have your alignment checked periodically.  Here are a few reasons why:

1.  The tires are wearing abnormally
2. You buy a brand new set of tires and want maximum tread life
3. You are experiencing steering or handling problems. 
4. To assure the optimum handling and traction for driving safety. 

Having the proper tire pressure is a crucial safety issue.  Next to the brakes, tires are the most important safety devices on your car. Incorrect tire pressure will compromise cornering, braking and stability. And in the worst-case scenario, improper tire pressure can lead to tire failure, and a serious accident. Incorrect tire pressure also will affect your comfort, fuel economy and the overall life of the vehicle.

Radiator Flush -   The coolant does not last forever.  Flush it at least once a year.

Replace your air filter – At least twice a year

Tire check – summer traveling could mean rain, check your tread and your tire pressure

Replace your windshield wipers – Winter weather can be brutal, so don’t wait until your driving in the rain to notice you need new wipers.  Replace them and you don’t have to worry about it.

Inspect your brakes – It is a good idea to inspect them at least twice a year.  Also, check your brake fluid at the same time.

Check your battery – Corrosion can build up in the winter, check your posts and cables.

Check your headlights – don’t wait until you get pulled over for only one headlight.  Check all your lights, brake lights, rear lights, blinkers etc.

Remember car safety begins with you!

Most vehicles will tell you which octane that they recommend.  Preference is definitely the key.  But you should at least use the least amount necessary to prevent detonation, which is also known as spark knock.  Most vehicles 87 octane regular unleaded is good, but some higher compression engines, or turbocharged engines require premium 91 to 93 octane fuel.

Detonation can be very damaging to your engine and occurs when the octane rating of the fuel is not high enough to handle all the heat and pressure.  Instead of a single flame front forming when the fuel is ignited, multiple flames fronts form spontaneously throughout the combustion chamber.  When these collide, it creates a  pinging noise, and then the piston receives a hammer-like blow. 

The best way to prevent this is to use a higher octane fuel.  The rating on fuel is the measure of its detonation resistance.  The higher the pump octane, the better able the fuel is to resist detonation. The rating depends on the blend of hydrocarbons in the fuel and other ingredients that are added to it, such as octane boosting additives, such as MBTE or alcohol. 

Make sure and follow you’re the recommendation in your owner’s manual.  If you vehicle requires premium, then use premium.  If you can’t find a pump that has a high enough octane, you can always use an aftermarket octane boosting fuel additive to your fuel tank.  These boost the octane rating of ordinary pump gas several points.