How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?
Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is usually difficult to predict how many miles you can be safe in driving with the warning light on. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. If you check engine light is flashing, we advise that you pull over and contact Audi North Atlanta to help determine if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we advise a tow truck. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly.
Is it safe to drive your Audi S5 with the check engine light on?
If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a serious issue and it is suggested to service your Audi S5 immediately. This question is not very simple because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to drive. This is typically indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the car, it could be an indication of a more serious problem. Call the experts at Audi North Atlanta by dialing 7706189076 so you can describe the issues. Or decrease your speed and bring your Audi to our certified mechanics as promptly as possible.
Audi S5 Check Engine Light Flashing
Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are many common causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other generally common reasons for a Check Engine Light are damaged oxygen sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, dirty mass airflow sensor, damaged emissions control part, damaged head gasket, or broken spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Audi Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and completely repair it as needed to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Audi issue was entirely fixed.
Every Audi S5 was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the car on its crucial systems. The fast sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending crucial data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, sadly that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what explicitly is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Audi North Atlanta provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Tremendously Qualified Service professional.
How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?
The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is ordinarily between $88 and $111. The good news, Audi North Atlanta offers entirely complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help determine the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not properly tightened to a more serious failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it good to get the proper code reading and diagnosis.
What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Audi S5?
When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a meaningful problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty and costly repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady and continuous glow generally means something less serious but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in significant trouble and useful service is necessary instantly. If your check engine light is flashing in your Audi S5, we extremely endorse not to drive the vehicle and schedule Audi service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:
- The battery is low or dead. The battery in your Audi S5 is every important. Without a vehicle battery, your vehicle won’t start, light up the road in front, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s vehicle batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't absolutely require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Audi you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
- Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak extreme havoc on your Audi S5 if it’s not installed correctly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound familiar, bring your S5 to Audi and have our team of talented certified mechanics make sure that your aftermarket items were installed accurately and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might cost a little bit more but could help you save substantially from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
- Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Audi S5’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is normally caused by repeatedly neglected maintenance, which is why Audi North Atlanta offers a free multi-point examination with every Audi service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your Audi S5 will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your vehicle may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other dangerous problems from overheating.
- Your Audi S5 has a vacuum leak. Every Audi S5 has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower harmful emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme cold.
- One of the most common and frequent cause is that your Audi S5 gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your Audi S5 serves multiple purposes. It prevents perilous gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a broken fuel cap? If your gas cap is old or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump and be more expensive. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't pricey. If your check engine light turns on rapidly after you put gas in your Audi S5, first thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
- Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns more quickly and your vehicle will be less efficient when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A broken sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause significant damage to your catalytic converter and your Audi S5's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the specifically correct mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A broken O2 sensor can also cause a vehicle to fail an emissions test.
- Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Audi S5 is what determines how much fuel is required to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to certain changes, like altitude. If your Audi S5 is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden rapid change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a essential sign of a broken mass airflow sensor.
- New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are required for your Audi S5. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run smooth. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or old, you will experience a noticeable poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, leading to more pricey repairs.
Audi S5 Check Engine Light Codes
The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating, exceptionally to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminate, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, still known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your S5. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can properly represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you advantageous knowledge about your car and will still allow that crucial Check Engine Light to do what it is absolutely supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, obvious and helpful car symptoms do not regularly accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of possible OBD codes, there are still hundreds of possible reasons for the light, including:
- Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
- Emissions controls issues
- Transmission issues
- O2 Sensor
- Bad Spark Plugs
- Old Battery
- Computer output circuit issues
- Fuel and air metering systems problems
- Ignition system faults
This is why it is essential for someone who does not have a lot of predominant automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Audi North Atlanta at 7706189076 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out swiftly by a talented certified Audi mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a serious concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue right away.
Will the check engine light reset itself?
The check engine light on your Audi S5 will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For instance, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will rapidly turn itself off. Again, if your catalytic converter is working perfectly, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your Audi S5 light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Audi North Atlanta so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.
What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?
One of the most normally misunderstood lights or indicators in your Audi S5 is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the essential onboard diagnostics system, and displays in an assortment of different ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do an assortment of things for your Audi S5. Some of these essential duties include shifting automatic transmissions ignition timing, controlling engine speed, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of different things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as dangerous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Audi S5, contact Audi North Atlanta. Contact Audi North Atlanta today! Our Audi service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing.
Check Engine Light Service Audi S5
What do you do when you’re driving along in your Audi S5 and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Audi owners, your heart sinks exceptionally because you may have precisely idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep, tranquil breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is suggested that you get your Audi S5 checked promptly. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major, major damage to pricey engine components.
When your Audi S5's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t correct, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is generally labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”
When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that can promptly identify the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our Audi auto repair mechanics at Audi North Atlanta. There are likewise a number of essentially inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you pick that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to determine the definitely correct issue and repair it.
Audi S5 Check Engine Light
A flashing light reveals that the problem is very serious and if not taken care of promptly may result in major and significant damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your Audi S5 starts flashing, that means that the problem needs attention promptly and your Audi should be brought in rapidly. This blinking light frequently reveals a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can swiftly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive and major repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can specifically be the cause. A faulty, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is invariably flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Audi North Atlanta swiftly by calling 7706189076. If the problem is totally ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a exceptionally expensive repair.