
Check Engine Light Service 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250
What do you do when you’re driving along in your Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 and expeditiously, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Mercedes-Benz owners, your heart sinks a little because you have little idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the price of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t represent 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 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 checked as soon as probable. Ignoring that warning could end up causing dominant wear and tear to expensive engine components.
When your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t practical, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is mostly 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 scan tool that is used by our Mercedes-Benz auto repair mechanics at Mercedes-Benz of Tampa. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you designate that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an competent skilled to designate the issue and repair it.
What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?
One of the most generally misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in plentiful other 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 car. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored car performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250. Some of these include controlling engine speed, ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name various. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a range of divergent things. It can be as easy as your gas cap being loose or as rigid as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250, contact Mercedes-Benz of Tampa. Our Mercedes-Benz service department can aid you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or audit why your check engine light is blinking. Contact Mercedes-Benz of Tampa today!
2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 Check Engine Light Flashing
Although there are copious capacity causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are many accepted causes including something as commonplace as a loose gas cap. Additional accepted reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty head gasket, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Mercedes-Benz Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as necessary to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Mercedes-Benz issue was serviced.
Every 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 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 continuously detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light brightens 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 wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Mercedes-Benz of Tampa provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Extremely Qualified Service professional.
What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250?
When your check engine light comes on, this could be as uncomplicated as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a hazardous problem that could cause hazardous damage to your engine and come with a substantial repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow frequently means something fewer hazardous but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in hazardous trouble and service is crucial expeditiously. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250, we particularly advocate not to drive the vehicle and schedule Mercedes-Benz service today. Below is a list of the most environmental reasons your check engine light can come on:
- Issues with each aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or further item can wreak havoc on your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prohibit the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound commonplace, transport your CLA 250 to Mercedes-Benz and have our team of certified technicians 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 cost a little bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
- One of the most authentic and countless cause is that your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 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 erstwhile 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 costly. If your check engine light turns on urgently after you put gas in your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250, first thing you should check is to make bold the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
- The battery is scanty or dead. The battery in your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 is every basic. 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 various decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Mercedes-Benz you drive, but check our ongoing service coupons and specials.
- Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, authentic 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 fewer practical 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 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to mean the noble mixture 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.
- Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 is what determines how much fuel is essential 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 meaningful changes, like altitude. If your Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
- New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are essential for your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires transport the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or erstwhile, 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, considerable to more costly repairs.
- Your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 has a vacuum leak. Every Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 has a vacuum system that performs a wide mixture 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 dehydrated out and crack, chiefly if they’re exposed to energetic heat or extreme immediate.
- Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250’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 commonly caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Mercedes-Benz of Tampa offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Mercedes-Benz service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 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 further problems from overheating.
Will the check engine light reset itself?
The check engine light on your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 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 practical, 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 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Mercedes-Benz of Tampa so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.
2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 Check Engine Light Codes
The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear prudent 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 well-known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your CLA 250. There are hundreds of disparate codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling vital diagnostics will give you fitting knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is precisely supposed to do: be your guide. Sadly, helpful and fitting vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of suitable OBD codes, there are also hundreds of suitable reasons for the light, including:
- Bad Spark Plugs
- Computer output circuit issues
- Old Battery
- Transmission issues
- Fuel and air metering systems problems
- Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
- O2 Sensor
- Emissions controls issues
- Ignition system faults
This is why it is exciting for someone who does not have assorted of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Mercedes-Benz of Tampa at 8135438419 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out shortly by a certified Mercedes-Benz mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a perilous concern, you risk damaging your car other by not repairing the issue honest away.
2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 Check Engine Light
If the check engine light in your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 starts flashing, that means that the problem needs precipitous attention and your Mercedes-Benz should be transported in abruptly. A flashing light indicates that the problem is rigorous and if not taken care of abruptly may result in dominant damage to the vehicle. This glaring light frequently indicates a efficient engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can expeditiously hike the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is conceivable, requiring an fancy repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can absolutely be the cause. A bad, former 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 remarkably expensive repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Mercedes-Benz of Tampa rapidly by calling 8135438419.
Is it safe to drive your 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 with the check engine light on?
If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a combative issue and it is recommended to service your Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 rapidly. This question is not very detectable 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 travel to work. This is naturally indicated by a steady 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 contentious problem. Call the experts at Mercedes-Benz of Tampa by dialing 8135438419 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce down your speed and bring your 2013 Mercedes-Benz to our certified mechanics as soon as achievable.
How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?
The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is laborious to predict how bountiful miles you can drive with the warning light on. If you check engine light is flashing, we recommend that you pull over and contact Mercedes-Benz of Tampa to help embrace if your vehicle is reliable to drive in or if we recommend a tow truck.
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 properly tightened to a more perilous failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it exceptional to get the suitable code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is typically between $88 and $111. The exceptional news, Mercedes-Benz of Tampa offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help determine the cause of your check engine light.