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2003 Corolla With Check Engine Light On - Urgent

By hackwriter, June 13, 2006



A few weeks ago I posted about the "chirping" sound in my front wheel, which the dealer could not duplicate and is now no longer audible. The dealer said the brakes are OK; only 40% worn down. I had him change the oil while the car was in there.

I am at this moment 140 miles from home, no problems with the car, but tonight the check engine light came on as soon as I pulled out of the hotel parking lot to get dinner.

It's a 2003 Corolla CE, dealer serviced only, 26,500 miles. I've done some Google searching and I'm somewhat comforted by seeing that usually this is an issue of the emissions system rather than being, oh, say, a blown head gasket or something.

By pure blind dumb luck, there is a Toyota dealer about 2 miles from my hotel, and I was able to make an appointment for tomorrow. Is there anything I should say to him to minimize the chances of having to pay for repairs I don't need? I'm female, I'm 4'10" tall, I'm from out of town, so I hit the ripoff trifecta. I've gotten some good info from this board about the MAF sensor and other causes.

One useful tip that I guess I should tell the dealer -- I filled up the car in NJ and before I could stop him the guy topped off the tank to the tune of almost a dollar. I usually don't top off.

The best you can do at this point is to make sure that your engine oil is at proper level and that your engine temperature stays at normal (check water level).. Those are 2 single most important things... Everything else car can work without..(exept tranny)

Check to see if the fuel cap is on properly, if not, this can set a check engine light.



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