Repairs became much more complicated and sophisticated with the advent of computers. Like it or not, the later model cars are computer engineered. This means that they are not subject to makeshift diagnosis and repair. One must go back to a dealer or a specialty repair shop that is equipped with the latest computer software that can detect and repair your vehicle. This necessarily makes the repair more costly and less likely to be handled by yourself. Granted these are all negatives.

However, vehicles today routinely travel many more miles than they used to. The average life expectancy of vehicles has increased dramatically over the years. This is due to the fact that vehicles are now made to last longer. They are more expensive to purchase, but they are designed to give better performance. They pollute less and they are much safer than ever.

The benchmark for a vehicle’s usefulness used to be 100k miles. That was a pretty standard figure back in the day. Oftentimes, when a vehicle reached that amount of miles, it was time to say goodbye. That is no longer the case. Vehicles, as a rule, travel well over that mark and many times approach the 200k mile plateau. I have witnessed this myself being in the business as long as I have. Although vehicles are more expensive and are more complicated to repair, which are certainly downsides, they last longer and give better performance. I suppose that’s the trade-off. So try to smile the next time you have to stroke that check for repairs, because, its comforting to know you probably have saved thousands by eliminating the need to replace the vehicle itself.

There are times when check engine lights can be more complicated. Sometimes they involve deep investigation and multiple part changes to correct. That is when a quality repair facility will come in handy. A knowledgeable service technician can save you a lot of time and money. You have to get someone who can pinpoint the problem and readily correct it, without playing hunt and peck with your time and money. Another suggestion I can make, is, don’t panic into paying a lot of money to repair this issue. It’s prudent to seek out a professional opinion about the cause, but, if it is found not to be severely damaging to the vehicle, you can drive with the light on almost for the life of the car. The reason many of these lights are triggered is emission related. These rarely impact a vehicle’s performance. However, I would get a professional opinion just to make sure. Most states now require that these lights be corrected, before they will allow the vehicle to be driven. This normally happens during the state’s yearly or biannual vehicle inspection. This is another bureaucratic impediment pushed upon us by a well-intentioned but misguided government.

With new government regulations and mandates coming into play constantly, it can be a challenge to own a vehicle. Everyone wants fuel efficient and roadworthy vehicles, but this desire has to be tempered with common sense about government regulatory overkill. Sadly, that’s the direction we appear to be going in. That a subject for a different article.