Without a diagnostic tool, it's challenging to determine what is wrong with your car and whether to keep driving when a solid ...

Whether you know a lot about cars or nothing about them, it's never fun to see the check-engine light—also known as a malfunction indicator light (MIL). This is your car trying to tell you it has ...

When your vehicle's check engine light (CEL) comes on, it's often a sign that something needs attention. But with over 20,000 ...

Onboard diagnostics (OBD) systems have been around since the 1980s and were developed to help limit harmful automotive exhaust emissions. Between 1988 and 1995, U.S.-built vehicles came with what's ...

Modern cars are becoming more and more computerized, so much so that in 2010, CarMD.com, a provider of automotive diagnostic data, reported 675 different possible reasons for a check engine light to ...

For most drivers, an oil change is a quick, hassle-free service that typically puts you out no longer than an hour and costs you (give or take) a hundred bucks. But even if you're perfectly on top of ...

Of the myriad warning lights on your car or truck’s dashboard, it seems the most ubiquitous is the “check engine” alert. When you see the "check engine" message or a symbol that looks like a car ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Jim Gorzelany is a veteran automotive journalist. You just know it’s going to be a bad day when the “check engine” light on your ...

Motorists in the nation’s capital and most populous state paid the most in 2019 to address problems indicated by vehicles’ check-engine light, according to a study by CarMD. Citing data gathered from ...

When the check engine light comes on in a vehicle, it’s indicating that there is some issue with the car that should be checked out. It could be something minor, such as the gas cap not being screwed ...