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What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most usually misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few 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 flashes 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 a assortment of things for your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400. Some of these include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of odd things. It can be as plain as your gas cap being loose or as hazardous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400, contact Mercedes-Benz of Chesterfield. Our Mercedes-Benz service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or observe why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Mercedes-Benz of Chesterfield today!

2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 starts flashing, that means that the problem needs abrupt attention and your Mercedes-Benz should be brought in immediately. A flashing light indicates that the problem is hazardous and if not taken care of immediately may result in gargantuan damage to the vehicle. This blinking light frequently expresses a risky engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be ejected into the exhaust system. There it can immediately expand the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an costly repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can totally be the cause. A harmful, former or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very expensive repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our department of automotive experts at Mercedes-Benz of Chesterfield suddenly by calling 3145979489.

Check Engine Light Service 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Mercedes-Benz SL 400 and rapidly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Mercedes-Benz owners, your heart sinks a miniature because you have miniature 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 breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 checked as soon as viable. Ignoring that warning could end up causing abundant break to expensive engine components.

When your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t coherent, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is mostly 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 identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is designate with an technical scan tool that is used by our Mercedes-Benz auto repair mechanics at Mercedes-Benz of Chesterfield. There are also a number of rather inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you choose that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to designate the issue and repair it.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is customarily between $88 and $111. The great news, Mercedes-Benz of Chesterfield offers 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 hazardous failure like a damaging catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it great to get the apt code reading and diagnosis.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how several miles you can drive with the warning light on. If you check engine light is flashing, we recommend that you pull over and contact Mercedes-Benz of Chesterfield to assist learn if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we recommend a tow truck.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as conspicuous as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a competent problem that could cause competent damage to your engine and come with a enormous repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A persistent glow consistently means something less competent but a flashing check engine light suggests that your vehicle’s engine is in competent trouble and service is mandatory urgently. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400, we highly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Mercedes-Benz service today. Below is a list of the most normal reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are mandatory for your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400. 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. 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 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, best to more expensive repairs.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's work is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is frequently caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Mercedes-Benz of Chesterfield offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Mercedes-Benz service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other problems from overheating.
  • The battery is poor or dead. The battery in your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 is every convenient. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't certainly require maintenance. The cost of a new one depends on the type of Mercedes-Benz you drive, but check our ongoing service coupons and specials.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak havoc on your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can jettison the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound commonplace, bring your SL 400 to Mercedes-Benz and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed properly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might cost a slight bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Mercedes-Benz SL 400 is what determines how much fuel is mandatory to run your engine efficiently by measuring the deposit of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to courageous changes, like altitude. If your Mercedes-Benz SL 400 is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • Your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 has a vacuum leak. Every Mercedes-Benz SL 400 has a vacuum system that performs a expanded alter of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower bad 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 arid out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to exciting heat or extreme cold.
  • One of the most commonplace and frequent cause is that your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 serves multiple purposes. It prevents 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 bad 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. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on quickly after you put gas in your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400, first thing you should check is to make confident 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, common as the O2 sensor, measures the deposit of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less common when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause damage to your catalytic converter and your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the honorable mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is serviced. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going functional, 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 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 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 Mercedes-Benz of Chesterfield so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless attainable causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several prevalent causes including something as favorable as a loose gas cap. Other prevalent reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, faulty emissions control part, dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, damaged oxygen sensor, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Mercedes-Benz Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as paramount to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Mercedes-Benz issue was revamped.

Every 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its enormous systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending 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, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what exactly is awry nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Mercedes-Benz of Chesterfield provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Largely Qualified Service professional.

Is it safe to drive your 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 with the check engine light on?

This question is not very uncomplicated 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 pragmatic 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 vehicle, it could be an indication of a more palpable problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a palpable issue and it is recommended to service your Mercedes-Benz SL 400 swiftly. Call the specialists at Mercedes-Benz of Chesterfield by dialing 3145979489 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your 2015 Mercedes-Benz to our certified mechanics as soon as potential.

2015 Mercedes-Benz SL 400 Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that small light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear modest 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, also natural as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your SL 400. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a small patience, tackling natural diagnostics will give you suitable knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is genuinely supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, coherent and correct vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of helpful OBD codes, there are also hundreds of helpful reasons for the light, including:

  • Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
  • O2 Sensor
  • Emissions controls issues
  • Transmission issues
  • Fuel and air metering systems problems
  • Old Battery
  • Bad Spark Plugs
  • Ignition system faults
  • Computer output circuit issues

This is why it is numerous for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Mercedes-Benz of Chesterfield at 3145979489 expeditiously or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a serious concern, you risk bad your car further by not repairing the issue decent away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out suddenly by a certified Mercedes-Benz mechanic.