Hi-Tech Robbery: Service Engine Soon Light Really Means Pay Money for Nothing

My "service engine soon" light has been displayed on my dashboard for most of the last two-and-a-half years. I had the car checked at a dealer (it went on while I was traveling out of state) who assured me that it was not a drivability issue but was related to the exhaust system and had to do with meeting federal emissions standards and improving gas mileage.

The cost of the repair was going to be significant, somewhere around $1,000 to get it fixed. So, I opted to let it wait and not put that much money on a car with 100,000+ miles on it.

At first, the light would come and go. But as time went on, the light stayed lit longer and longer. In 2006, the light was off for a total of one day. I took the car to be inspected that day and it passed without any problems.

I was waiting for the gods to smile upon me again in 2007, but it never happened. One Friday night in December, I stopped in at a friend's house after covering a game for the newspaper. On the way home I ran into a DUI checkpoint and got nailed for my expired inspection sticker.

Now, that certainly beats getting arrested for a DUI, like several people looked like they were at this stop, but still it was a real downer for me. I could either pay the $145 to make it go away or show up in court with proof of inspection and the possibility of the judge waving my fine.

I opted for the latter, although in retrospect I wonder if I made the right choice.

Since my "service engine light" was displayed in orange (not red) on my dash, a buddy suggested that I go get the car inspected anyway and that it might pass. Since that was the path of least financial outlay, that's the one I chose. I even went to an old-fashioned garage, rather than an upscale service center with leather chairs and TVs in the waiting room, figuring that if it didn't pass maybe the mechanic would offer me a sticker for $50 or something.

No such luck.

The mechanic looked the part of someone who might be willing to skirt the law for a chance to make a buck. It looked like he hadn't washed or shaved in days. And I swear on everything that I hold holy, he had an eye patch and walked with a slight limp. I mean, he looked like something out of central casting. But he simply informed me that the light triggered an error code and until that code was fixed my car would not pass inspection.

Maybe I was just supposed to offer the handshake with the $50 changing hands. I'm really not sure how an under-the-table deal works. Maybe I looked too clean cut or too much like a narc for the mechanic to offer me a break. All I know was that he sent me on my way.

My next step was to go to a garage that had worked on my car before and made a simple fix, a rig if you will, rather than going for the big repair bill right away. They did the same thing this time. They "cleaned" something in the exhaust system. At least that's what they told me, my bill didn't say anything of that nature.

I paid $74.35 for a computer diagnostic scan and "Shop Supplies". More importantly, the "service engine soon" light was off. So, I went back to the one-eyed man to finish the inspection. Before he sent me on my way the first time, he charged me $24.50 and told me once I had the problem fixed that $6.50 would finish the inspection.

When I returned, I told the one-eyed man that I was in the other day and that my car didn't pass inspection. He did not seem to remember me so I showed him the paper work he gave me. He asked when I had the car fixed and I told him just now. A frown came over his face and he told me that I would need to drive the car for awhile to make sure the light did not come back on.

The one-eyed man was really pissing me off.

I had a game that night in Greensboro. I made the 60-something mile round trip and the light stayed off. I planned on going the next morning, as I had an afternoon game in Durham. But I got off to a late start and couldn't get there that day. That night, on my return trip for Durham, the cursed light came back on.

So, it was back to my garage. This time they put in some "fuel additive" for $23.58 that made the light go back off. I had a game that night in Raleigh. Again, on the drive home, the light came back on.

Now, time was getting to be a factor. I had to get it fixed in time for my early January court date. And I was running into the holidays, with many places here in rural North Carolina closed for up to two weeks for Christmas and New Years.

The garage told me the error code indicated that I needed a new catalytic converter. They also said it was going to be a $1,000 job. I asked him if it was the part or labor that was making it cost so much and he told me it was the part.

So, I checked online to see if I could get the part cheaper from a wholesale place. I have a 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport. If I needed a catalytic converter for a 2000 Mitsubishi Montero, or a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport, I could have gotten one for $62.64 from partstrain.com or other online retailers. But did they have a catalytic converter for a 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport? No, they did not.

And of course it didn't take a standard piece. So I had to get one from a Mitsubishi dealer. It still hurts when I sit down.

I paid for the part but was going to have to wait a couple of days for it to be shipped to my guy. In the interim, my "service engine soon" light was off. After a couple of days of it being off, I went back to old one eye, and he finished the inspection!

So, even though the car was not fixed, it still met federal safety emission regulations. But because a light came on my dashboard, I found myself with a monster repair bill. What a crock!

My first car was a used 1977 Mazda RX-4. It was the big brother to the RX-7. Now, it was nowhere near as sporty as the RX-7, but it was a funky looking car that I rather liked. That car had a light that would come on at regular intervals, I forget how often, but it was like every 12,500 miles or something. It was a round number that was hard to miss.

Anyway, my dad found the mechanic who had serviced the car under its previous owner and he told dad that it was a device to get you to come into the shop. All you had to do to clear the light was to take this one connection, unplug it, and plug it back in the opposite way and the light would go off.

Now, the light on the RX-4 did not say "service engine soon" or anything like that. It was just a plain red light. But I'm thinking that the auto manufacturers have just become more creative in their ways to get you to go to a shop or dealer. And they've made it impossible for the average person to not get scammed.

If my car failed inspection because it didn't meet federal emissions requirements, I would have no problem paying to bring my vehicle up to standard. But it failed simply because a light came on my dashboard. My car, prior to being fixed, passed the emissions test. I only went through with the repair because I had to pre-pay for the part.

It still seems weird when I'm driving not to have the "service engine soon" light on. I wish I could say that it gave me a greater sense of security but it does not. And I went through this headache all because I decided to be chatty on a Friday night.

I'll never make that mistake again.