So my check engine light came on today. First thing I did was check the gas cap, because I know from experience that that is the main cause of a CEL in a newer car.

Gas cap is nice and tight. I let it idle, turn the car off, and turn it back on. CEL is still on.

Its going in to the dealer tomorrow, which of course means I have to take time off work to get there since they, like me, are only there 9-5.

Anyone have this happen to their tC? My car is only two months old, it's only got 2.5k miles on the clock. Its completely stock engine-wise. If anyone can enlighten me as to what can trigger a CEL in a barely broken-in car, please do!

 

Probably just a faulty circuit somewhere. I have seen it happen on other cars before.

 

is it the little engine icon or is it the Maint req'd one?

My maint req'd is on and i'll be taking it in some time this week. It is supposed to indicate the necessity for an oil change but I've had my oil changed religiously on time, so I'm not sure what set it off.

If it's the little outline of an engine thats lighting up, you're in trouble.

 

My light came on in my xB.....Then the trac off and stability control off lights came on...I had a flat tire! I fixed the tire and the lights stayed on, I assumed they had to be reset...about a month or so later the lights magically went off.

 

it's no big deal. it usually just means there is some kind of perceived vacuum leak, b/c your gas cap wasn't tightened down enough previously...you can't just re-tighten and expect it to go away. it usually takes a couple of days of driving to correct itself. in any case, the dealer is just going to reset it tomorrow, in all likelihood, and tell you it's no big deal. but keep us posted. at least you're only at 2500 miles...full warranty = no worries at all.

the only time you really got to freak out is if the oil light comes on. don't ever let the oil light come on. always check/change your oil regularly.

 

Hmmmm yeah get it checked out. It could just be a faulty relay switch that is going out throwing a bad code, this happened to me before in my old car. They just replaced the relay and VUALA it was fixed. Hopefully it's nothing bad. LET US KNOW!

 

So the CEL will go away after a couple days, if the gas cap was not tightened? Thats good to know. I thought the code had to be cleared before the CEL would disappear.

I'm pretty darn sure I've never left the gas cap loose, but we'll see.

 

my tc is only 3 months old already and my maintanice light is blinking whenever i start the car for about a good 2 min....not the usual flash then stop.

 

For the maintanence light. It means you need an oil change soon. Read the manual, it will explain this.

As for the check engine light, Let a dealer look at it. Just in case.

 

Yeah, you can shut it off....if you'd done the oil change, reset it...it's completely based on milage.

Do a search on here...I can't remember how to do it...but it's like turn your car on, then off...then hold the ODO reset button, then turn to on(not start, just on) and hold for 15 seconds...something like that

 

Your IDIOT maintenance light will not come on until 4,900 miles unless there is something wrong with your car.


anyways. sux to be youll, my Tc purrs right along I did reset my own light at 4,900 miles and changed the oil myself because I am smart person .

 

There's a reason they put those sensors and warning lights on the cars and it's NOT just to try and catch aftermarket modifications. Mass production = some problems = why they have a warranty in the first place...

 

it happened to me within the first 5K of my xB, and i took it to the dealer and they just reset it and said it was likely a computer overreaction re: emissions. so, you went to the dealer today and hopefully they told you the same thing.

as far as i know, mostly on new cars the light is typically an emissions alert. on some cars it will reset automatically, although on the tC i'm not certain if it will. it may require the code to be chased down. we have almost 40K on the car now, so my memory may not serve me, but if i recall the service advisor just leaned it and reset it using the odometer buttons.

in any case, the dealer should be able to allay your fears. it's certainly nothing to panic about, but let us know what they tell you.

good historical overview of on-board diagnostics at the consumer reports site:
http://www.consumerreports.org/main/...East_id=333137