If you are like most people you have been driving down the road and suddenly an eerie orange glow illuminates the panel in front of you.  Looking down you see the light is actually your “check engine” (or “service engine”) light.  Now, this could be a very frightening experience, after all your engine is what is keeping you moving down the road and that light is telling you something is wrong with it.  However, while you should get your car checked out, it doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over instantly either.  There are a multitude of reasons that light could be on, and even some of them you can check and fix at home.  Here are a few tips on what you should do when that light turns on. 

The first thing you need to do is check the other gages and lights on your counsel.  If there is any indication of overheating, low oil pressure, or any other indicator of a major problem including smoke from under the hood, pull over.  These are not things that you want to press because they could end up costing you hundreds, possibly even thousands of dollars if not taken care of. 

If there are no apparent problems with your car you could try tightening the gas cap.  It seems like a small, stupid thing but often times this will solve the problem.  Do keep in mind however that the “check engine” light may not turn off right away.  It may need a trip or two to reset itself.  Another thing you can try is to reduce your speed.  The light could be indicating that your engine is working too hard.  Slowing down could take some of the strain away, as could removing any additional weight.  If you are pulling a trailer it may be necessary to stop for a while and get the car checked out.  An overworked engine can give out pretty quickly and the added weight will only expedite the process. 

If nothing seems to be working and you still don’t want to take the car into the shop there is one other option.  Most auto parts stores will actually carry a device that will scan your car and give you a code number telling you what it is that is wrong with your car and causing the light to stay on.  The price of this tool ranges depending on your model and year of car.  The one problem with this is unless you have a decent knowledge of cars you may not know how to read the code or understand the directions. 

Taking your car to a specialist is probably the best option for you, but try these few steps first and see what happens.  There is a chance you can fix it very easily.