How to Check Engine Light with scanner

Many people think that when their Check Engine Light comes on that their only recourse is to take their car to a garage to have their problem diagnosed. At one time that was true but now there is a OBD Diagnostic Tool widely available that is so easy to use that anyone can diagnose their car's problem and determine what is wrong with their car --if anything. And then, armed with that knowledge, they can make an informed decision on whether to repair their car themselves or take it to a a garage.

It's Safe!
Many people are concerned, and rightfully so, that if they diagnose the cause of their Check Engine Light and turn it off themselves that they might damage their car. That is understandable. Cars are expensive and we rely on them to get around. But, in the vast majority of cases, it is safe to diagnose your car yourself. However, I cannot willy nilly advise everyone who reads this post to blindly reset their Check Engine Light. I don't know what everyone's circumstances are. Their car might actually be trying to tell them something. And, Launch Diagnostic Tool just as you should not ignore a Check Engine Light, you should not turn it off without knowing what caused it. Although it's likely that resetting the Check Engine Light won't hurt the car, the only safe and responsible way to do it is by determining what caused a Check Engine Light to come on first and then turn it off. And using a code reader to determine what caused the light to come on is about as easy as turing on your car radio.

Code Readers Work on Any Car!
One of the great features that make a code reader a good investment is that you can use it on any car manufactured 1996 or after. Vehicles produced in 1996 and later, whether domestic (American-made) or imported, are required to be OBD-II compliant. OBD stands for On-board Diagnostic and II stands for the second generation. Before 1996, there was an Autel Diagnostic Tool I standard but it wasn't universal and the degree of consistency from car to car varied. But now, all cars, no matter where they were produced, have the same standardized monitoring systems which means I can not only diagnose my Ford but I can also turn off the Check Engine Light in my friends' Toyota!

Two Huge Benefits
This provides two benefits. First, there may be no actual problem. The Check Engine Light, Launch X431 iDiag as many people know, often comes on for no reason at all. Well, I should clarify that. There is always a reason that the Check Engine Light comes on but often those reasons are transitory or temporary. For example, if the gas cap is left off too long, the sensor responsible for monitoring ventilation may be triggered which in turn causes the Check Engine Light to activate. And, once activated, the light will remain on even if the condition that caused it to light is corrected. If you have a code reader, you can determine what the cause was and, if you think it was likely a transitory error that no longer exists, you can use the code reader to erase the error code and turn off the Check Engine Light. This saves an unnecessary trip to the garage and the inevitable unnecessary repairs.

Second, if there actually is a problem, you can take it to the mechanic with some knowledge of the problem thus protecting yourself from unncessary work and charges.

They're Inexpensive
There are several models of Launch X431 Scanner available from several manufacturers. The most basic models with the fewest features cost about $50 and are available at Sears, car parts stores, and on Amazon. A mid-range model that does everything the average user will ever need costs about $100. For the price of a nice dinner you can save yourself thousands of dollars in unnecessary repairs and tons of frustration.
Source: http://obdtools.designshuffle.com/blog/