Power 2 The People - Right On!
So, my wife came back from a shopping trip and said, "There's a light on in the car on the dashboard. It looks like a submarine!"
Well, I guess the Check Engine Light might look like a submarine to someone who has never in her life seen a car engine. Oh, well.
I responded, "Oh Damn!"
Then I took my wife's iPhone out to the car, opened the app that can see the dongle plugged into our Kia Soul's OBD-II diagnostic port. She doesn't remember, but she gave me one of those dongles last Christmas, and I plugged it in and downloaded the app onto her phone.
Once the app connected to the dongle, via Bluetooth, it asked me to start the engine. I did. The app then told me that there was an issue with the car's evaporative emission system and indicated that was the only problem. Hmm...I asked my wife if she had recently gassed up the car. "Yes," she said. "Yesterday."
So, I removed and replaced the gas cap, turning it hard enough to hear a click, which my dear wife never does. Now, after driving for about 30 miles, the check engine light will go off.
No trip to the dealer or anywhere is needed, as would be if I did not have that dongle and app. The problem isn't critical, anyhow, and could have waited until I gassed up the car and tightened the gas cap adequately, which my wife never does. But, I've already retightened it, so the light will go off.
The app can reset the check engine light sometimes, but not for emissions issues.
Anyhow, those OBD-II dongles and apps are well worth what they cost, which isn't all that much. If you use them, they'll often save you a costly trip to the repair shop if you understand cars at all. Even if you don't, you can always look up the error code on the Internet and learn what to do. If you're handy, you can even fix most problems yourself. If you're lucky, all you'll have to do is tighten the gas cap properly, which my wife never does.
I recommend those dongles. Technology has its benefits. Despite all efforts to keep us ignorant of the workings our our vehicles, clever vendors have created tools that let us bypass the need to visit dealer service departments every time a light comes on on our dash. We don't have to be slaves to the car companies and their dealerships.
Note: I have explained the gas cap thing to my wonderful wife, but she says it is "too hard" to turn it until it clicks. Oh, well. That's why I usually gas up the car, I guess.
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