My son has a 1998 ford contour and the engine light has been on since last Oct. It's time for inspection and does anyone have any idea if this is costly?Does it cost very much to have the code checked? I'm afraid of going to someone who may rip me off.[:@]
mrsct2003

 

If the car is running fine, I would try disconnecting the Positive Battery Terminal and letting the car set for a few minutes. That will clear any codes and the check engine light will stay out if there are not any existing problems. If the check engine comes back on even after clearing the code then you need to have the code read.

Check with your Mechanic and discuss the fee for just having the code read, and also check to see that reading the code is free if it leads to a needed repair.

You can google around and see what certain repairs cost, like O2 sensor replacement, or other Sensor replacement cost...Other than that you hopefully you do not get a mechanic that tries to hand you your (A**) on a platter. I once had a Texaco charge me 82 Dollars to tell me that I had no trouble codes to read.

Just make sure you ask in advance what the fees are, and when they tell you the fee and you immediatly want to poop then chances are they are trying to rip you off.

Good Luck.

P.S. Once you Clear the Codes via the Battery method, please give your Computer a few days to re-learn, that is normal.