
What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?
One of the most usually misunderstood lights or indicators in your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in assorted disparate ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light lights up in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300. Some of these include controlling engine speed, ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a assortment of individual things. It can be as authentic as your gas cap being loose or as profound as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300, contact Mercedes-Benz of Tampa. Contact Mercedes-Benz of Tampa today! Our Mercedes-Benz service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is shining.
Check Engine Light Service Mercedes-Benz GLC 300
What do you do when you’re driving along in your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 and immediately, a yellow light lights up on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Mercedes-Benz owners, your heart sinks a small because you have small idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost 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 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 checked as soon as accessible. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major wear and tear to costly engine components.
When your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electrical control system that it can’t factual, 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 find out with an mechanical analyze 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 choose that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an forceful skilled to favor the issue and repair it.
What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Mercedes-Benz GLC 300?
When your check engine light comes on, this could be as classic as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a harsh problem that could cause harsh damage to your engine and come with a extraordinary repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow often means something less harsh but a blinking check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in harsh trouble and service is essential immediately. If your check engine light is blinking in your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300, we immensely advocate not to travel to work the vehicle and schedule Mercedes-Benz service today. Below is a list of the most commonplace reasons your check engine light can come on:
- New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are essential for your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel variety in the combustion chamber of your car. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or classical, 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 wear and tear to ignition coils and O2 sensors, considerable to more expensive repairs.
- Your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 has a vacuum leak. Each Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 has a vacuum system that performs a wide assortment of functions. The vacuum system also helps cut 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 dry out and crack, notably if they’re exposed to splendid heat or extreme chilly.
- Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be interchanged. The Oxygen sensor, known 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 car will be less sane 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 wear and tear to your catalytic converter and your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the decent variety 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.
- One of the most classic and frequent cause is that your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 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 classical 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 expensive. If your check engine light turns on immediately after you put gas in your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300, initial thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
- Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be interchanged. The mass airflow sensor in your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 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 recognizable changes, like altitude. If your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 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.
- Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or diverse item can wreak havoc on your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 if it’s not installed well. These aftermarket parts and accessories can dump the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the car from starting. If these issues sound prevalent, bring your GLC 300 to Mercedes-Benz and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, notably aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts initial place might value some bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and wear and tear caused by poor installation work corrected.
- Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300’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 usually caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Mercedes-Benz of Tampa offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with each Mercedes-Benz service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 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 diverse problems from overheating.
- The battery is low or dead. The battery in your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 is each laborious. 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 assorted 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.
Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 Check Engine Light Flashing
Although there are plentiful potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are various favored causes encompassing something as plain as a loose gas cap. Different favored reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty head gasket, dirty mass airflow sensor, or defective spark plugs to name frequent. 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 needed 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 revamped.
Every Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its intense systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control department. If the electronic control department detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates 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 remorseful 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 Greatly Qualified Service expert.
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 interchanged. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how countless miles you can drive with the warning light on. If you check engine light is blinking, we advocate that you pull over and contact Mercedes-Benz of Tampa to help indicate if your vehicle is dependable to drive in or if we advocate a tow truck.
Will the check engine light reset itself?
The check engine light on your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is revamped. 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 active, and you did a few 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 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 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.
Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 Check Engine Light
If the check engine light in your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 starts flashing, that means that the problem needs abrupt attention and your Mercedes-Benz should be brought in hastily. A flashing light indicates that the problem is harsh and if not taken care of hastily may result in fundamental damage to the vehicle. This flashing light frequently illustrates a exacting engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be discharged into the exhaust system. There it can abruptly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can absolutely be the cause. A bad, old 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 especially fancy repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Mercedes-Benz of Tampa abruptly by calling 8135438419.
Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 Check Engine Light Codes
The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard rapidly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear polite 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 classic as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your GLC 300. There are hundreds of diversified codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling vital diagnostics will give you fundamental knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is actually supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, distinct and fundamental vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of accessible OBD codes, there are also hundreds of accessible reasons for the light, including:
- Bad Spark Plugs
- O2 Sensor
- Old Battery
- Ignition system faults
- Computer output circuit issues
- Emissions controls issues
- Fuel and air metering systems problems
- Transmission issues
- Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
This is why it is fascinating for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out quickly by a certified Mercedes-Benz mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a unhealthy concern, you risk detrimental your car other by not repairing the issue proper away. Call Mercedes-Benz of Tampa at 8135438419 today or schedule your check engine light service online today!
How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?
The average price for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is customarily between $88 and $111. The big 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. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not properly tightened to a more suitable failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it big to get the suitable code reading and diagnosis.
Is it safe to drive your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 with the check engine light on?
This question is not very clear 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 drive. This is commonly indicated by a persistent glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the automobile, it could be an indication of a more hazardous problem. If the check engine light is blinking, this means that there is a hazardous issue and it is recommended to service your Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 at this moment. Call the experts at Mercedes-Benz of Tampa by dialing 8135438419 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your Mercedes-Benz to our certified mechanics as soon as achievable.