There is nothing I hate more while driving than to see my "Check Engine" light come on. It makes my heart takes a leap and a cold sweat to break out on my forehead. The first thing I think is "now what is this going to cost me" . The second thing is "Do I keep driving or is my engine about to blow".
Your Check engine light generally only comes in two colors, Red and Yellow. The color will give you a pretty good idea of what to do next.

Red Light. If your "Check Engine" light glows red it is a pretty good indication that something is really wrong so carefully pull over and turn off the engine. Some things that can cause the light to glow red are:

•Missing or broken belt
•Low fluids, such as engine oil, anti-freeze or transmission oil.
•Low brake fluid
•Alternator or battery problems

A yellow light is a  "Check Engine Soon" and alerting you that there is a potential problem. The onboard computer checked all your sensors and something wasn't right. A "Check Engine soon" light might be intermittent and could be difficult to diagnose so be sure to notice what was happening when the light came on. Some causes for the yellow light might be

•Faulty Sensors
•Emission problems
•anti-lock brake systems
•safety restraint system failure

What can you do about it
Fortunately there are a few options. The first, of course, is to ignore it. My kids tend to do that. I do not recommend it. The second option is to take it to a repair shop. They have all the equipment to determine what is causing the light to be on. The third option is take care of it yourself. Today there is are several tools available to find out what the problem is and, once you fix it, turn the light off. Best of all they are affordable.

Under $30.00
GM Code Reader
Chrysler Battery Tester/Coder Reader
Code Reader Chrysler OBDI
Code Reader Import OBDI

Under $50.00
Ford Code Reader OBDI
Generic OBD II Code Reader
OBD I/II Code Reader for VW & Audi Vehicles

Under $80.00
OBD II Pocket Scan Tool
Code Reader OBD II

Under $150.00
OBDII code reader OTC
OBD II Code Reader Equus Innova
Autoxray Code Reader 1000 OBDII
OTC C.A.N. AutoCodeTM
Autoxray C.A.N. Code Reader 1500 Code Scout

At Automotive Specialty Tools we know all about the Diagnostic Tools you need. Since there are so many choices available to you we invite you to give our tool expert a call. He can suggest for you the right tool for your car, year and need. He will never oversell you.

Automotive Specialty Tools, Inc has been an On-line source for Automotive Tools and Equipment since 1999. Founder Ben Montoya spent most of his working years as a mechanic, service advisor and mobile tool sales guy. He is well aware of the needs of today's technicians and DIYers.