Check engine came on again on the 2000 V6 Camry XLE

When the check engine light came on couple of months ago we had a local
mechanic diagnosed it. He said it was from not tightening the gas cap enough
and charged us $150 to reset it.

Today the check engine light came on again and certainly I don't need the
mechanic charge me another $150 and have the light come on again two months
later. Ok, I'll get a new gas cap. Other than that, any ideas or
suggestions. TIA

# Fred # wrote:
[color=blue]
> When the check engine light came on couple of months ago we had a local
> mechanic diagnosed it. He said it was from not tightening the gas cap enough
> and charged us $150 to reset it.
>
> Today the check engine light came on again and certainly I don't need the
> mechanic charge me another $150 and have the light come on again two months
> later. Ok, I'll get a new gas cap. Other than that, any ideas or
> suggestions. TIA[/color]

It may not be the gas cap. Retrieve the stored codes; I think Autozone will
do that for free.

$150!!!

Go to AutoZone, or any parts house with a Loaner Tool Program. (Most parts
stores have tool programs where they let you use specialty tools for free.
They do this because they capture business selling parts if they provide the
needed tools to customers.)

Your car is controlled by the On Board Diagnostic, Level 2 (OBD II) system.
The tool needed to download the codes costs less than $100, and using it is
very easy. (Setting the clock on the VCR is more difficult.)

After you get the Code, check this site,
[url]http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troubleshooting/l/bl_obd_main.htm[/url]









"# Fred #" <noemail@nowhere.net> wrote in message
news:Mr2dnQTPr6zkVi7YnZ2dnUVZ_oKnnZ2d@comcast.com...[color=blue]
> When the check engine light came on couple of months ago we had a local
> mechanic diagnosed it. He said it was from not tightening the gas cap
> enough and charged us $150 to reset it.
>
> Today the check engine light came on again and certainly I don't need the
> mechanic charge me another $150 and have the light come on again two
> months later. Ok, I'll get a new gas cap. Other than that, any ideas or
> suggestions. TIA
>[/color]

"# Fred #" <noemail@nowhere.net> wrote in message
news:Mr2dnQTPr6zkVi7YnZ2dnUVZ_oKnnZ2d@comcast.com...[color=blue]
> When the check engine light came on couple of months ago we had a local
> mechanic diagnosed it. He said it was from not tightening the gas cap
> enough and charged us $150 to reset it.
>
> Today the check engine light came on again and certainly I don't need the
> mechanic charge me another $150 and have the light come on again two
> months later. Ok, I'll get a new gas cap. Other than that, any ideas or
> suggestions. TIA[/color]

IMO, the place that charged you $150 to diagnose overcharged you.

Check out Autozone - they will let you use a code scanner for free. Other
major parts store chains probably have a similar policy. Before you spend
money on replacement parts, check the trouble codes and report back here or
check here for a list of codes: [url]http://www.obdii.com/codes.html[/url]

If you decide to check back here, ignore any advice from anyone who tells
you to replace a part without first giving advice on how to check the part.

You can purchase an OBD II code scanner for under $100, but since many
places will either check codes for free or let you use a scanner for free, a
better investment would be a digital volt/ohm meter, available at Radio
Shack for under $30.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"# Fred #" <noemail@nowhere.net> wrote in message
news:Mr2dnQTPr6zkVi7YnZ2dnUVZ_oKnnZ2d@comcast.com...[color=blue]
> When the check engine light came on couple of months ago we had a local
> mechanic diagnosed it. He said it was from not tightening the gas cap
> enough and charged us $150 to reset it.
>
> Today the check engine light came on again and certainly I don't need the
> mechanic charge me another $150 and have the light come on again two
> months later. Ok, I'll get a new gas cap. Other than that, any ideas or
> suggestions. TIA
>[/color]
I got gifted with my daughter's 2002 Rav4, 2 years ago. It had check engine
light intermittently for the past year and a half. Seemed to have no effect
on the drivability of the vehicle and the dealer showed little interest in
capturing the $ from resetting it. Finally made an appointment specifically
to check it a week and a half ago for this past Thursday. On Tuesday, the
dealer called to set up an appointment to fix the damn thing on a recall
(for free). Check Toyota recalls on google and see if you get lucky.

Tom

On Sun, 21 Jan 2007 12:22:19 -0800, "# Fred #" <noemail@nowhere.net>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>When the check engine light came on couple of months ago we had a local
>mechanic diagnosed it. He said it was from not tightening the gas cap enough
>and charged us $150 to reset it.
>
>Today the check engine light came on again and certainly I don't need the
>mechanic charge me another $150 and have the light come on again two months
>later. Ok, I'll get a new gas cap. Other than that, any ideas or
>suggestions. TIA[/color]

If you're going to get raped that hard, go buy yourself the stupid
OBD-II scan tool - If you have a laptop (or a spare computer in the
garage) you can get a full featured PC based solution for $129 or $199
with the real-time data access. [url]www.autotap.com[/url]

(If anyone knows a PC-based Mechanic grade unit, let me know - the
Snap-On MODIS looks great, but at $7,695 plus tax... Ouch!)

Get a Haynes or Chilton Shop Manual to tell you what the codes mean
and how to track down the real problem. And don't just swap parts
blindly because "the scanner said so!", as it only points you in the
right direction. Be prepared to drop a bit more coin on other
diagnostic tools they may call for, like a decent digital multimeter
or a Mityvac hand vacuum pump.

You'll spend the same amount of money on a decent scan tool and
other diagnostic & hand tools, but they are *yours* and can be used
many times over the next 25-odd years - until (and if) we ever switch
away from the Internal Combustion Gasoline engine to something else.

"Good tools hurt once when you get the credit card bill. Cheap
tools hurt a bit less at first - but the pain repeats every single
time they break and need replacement again."

--<< Bruce >>--

$150 is too much. Many local Autozone stores have the OBD-II free
loaner available and will help you read and reset the MIL light for
free!! Or you can buy your own for about $70 at local Pep Boys.

You should always find out what the codes are about. Don't wait until
things got worse to fix it.




# Fred # wrote:[color=blue]
> When the check engine light came on couple of months ago we had a local
> mechanic diagnosed it. He said it was from not tightening the gas cap enough
> and charged us $150 to reset it.
>
> Today the check engine light came on again and certainly I don't need the
> mechanic charge me another $150 and have the light come on again two months
> later. Ok, I'll get a new gas cap. Other than that, any ideas or
> suggestions. TIA[/color]