Volkswagen check engine light troubleshooting tips and repair recommendations

When check engine light or any other similar light pops up at the dashboard suddenly while you are driving your Volkswagen, then no doubt it can make the driver worried or even confused. It can make him to think how can your Volkswagen car get engine or similar issues? What can be the reason behind the check engine light coming on suddenly in the cars like Volkswagen. Finding check engine light in Volkswagen cars is very unusual, only if the car is maintained. Here you will know about the tips on trouble shooting the check engine light in Volkswagen.

Why check engine light is glowing in Volkswagen?

The check engine light is present in your dashboard to inform the user about some problems in the car due to some faults in the engine compartment or other power train issue. It is present for the good purpose of alerting the user about the problem before anything severe happens in the car. But still the glowing up of the check engine light is unusual as it shows about some problems in your car. The drivers can become worried by thinking what could have made it to come up. It would confuse more if there are no other signs of any problem except the check engine light.

Here are some common causes of the check engine light

 Spark plugs

 Gas cap

 ignition coil

 Oxygen sensor

 Fault codes

Troubleshooting the check engine light

If the check engine light is glowing, then there can be some serious issues or some issues which are not serious at all. But you have to check about the cause of the problem. For that you have to get a diagnostic scanner and plug in into the OBD port. Here are some steps to troubleshoot and repair the problems-

1. First you have to locate the OBD port which is usually under the dashboard of Volkswagen cars. Then you have to plug in the OBD2 scanner into the port.

2. To scan the error codes stored in the car modules, you have to turn on the ignition without turning on the engine.

3. Then you have to read every code stored in your modules so that you can get some ideas about the most possible causes behind the problems.

4. Most probably the reasons behind the check engine light on can be any one from the causes that are mentioned above.

5. You have to inspect the parts mentioned in the scanner.

6. If the mentioned culprit is the spark plugs or other ignition system component part, then you have to visually inspect them. Check the spark plugs, the ignition coils and the wires. If cleaning them cannot solve the problem, then replace them, check if the connections are proper or not.

7. Check the gas cap, which is a very easy thing to do. If the gas cap is left opened or not tightened by mistake, then try to tightly fix it.

8. Check the sensors like coolant temperature sensor, oxygen sensor and the MAF sensor. These sensors can either fail to work if they are excessively dirty or due to some faults in them. Clean them and get them tested. If still it is not working, then check the connections or replace them.

9. Check for any leakage of fluids. You can open your hood to check if there is any leakage or strange smoke coming from it. Leakage of fuel or oil can cause the problem.

10. If there are no issues left and still the check engine light is glowing, then again connect the scanner to the OBD port and clear all the error codes from the car. Then switch off the car and wait for some seconds. Again, turn on your car to check if the check engine light has gone off or not.

11. If still it is showing, then, you have to turn it off again and open the hood, there you have to take out the negative cable from the battery terminal. After a minute, you have to again connect the cable to the terminal well and then turn on your car check the check engine light. Most probably you would find that the check engine light has gone off.

Conclusion

The check engine light should not be taken lightly, even if there are no other signs, you have to try to troubleshoot it or else the errors stored in the car can have negative impact on the performance of the car. For the complex repairs, you can take the help of Volkswagen repair centers.