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The computer checks a bit more than just the engine, but you can now rent a box to read the codes at many auto parts stores, so you can pull the code to tell you what needs to be fixed, and then clear the code when you’ve fixed it. _____________________________ Oh, for heavens sake!!! Did it ever occur to you that some of us haven't the slightest idea how to even open the hood of a car or even know where the battery is. Oil? What oil and where does one put it? I'd probably fill up the radiator with oil and water the other openings. Good grief!!!!!!What kind of box does one rent? How do you pull the code? How are you told what needs to be fixed? Does a voice come out of the rented box? How does one clear the code?

Yea.

It also occurs to me that:

a) you’re not stupid,
b) you can learn,
c) once you do, you will realize that it is really not that difficult.

Really.

No, a voice doesn’t come out of the rented box. It will display a code, which has a letter and a number, and this can be looked up in a book that tells you what sensor is complaining. You clear the code by pressing the buttons on the code box to clear the code.

Look, you’re obviously operating a computer to tell me that you haven’t the slightest idea how to “even open the hood.” I worked my way through EE school by being a mechanic. I know which is more complicated: the modern computer or the modern car. You’re obviously operating a modern computer, to me, that means you’re intelligent enough to work on a car. You just need to have someone of whom you can ask questions and get honest answers, ie, someone who isn’t trying to shake you down.

If you’re able to successfully operate a modern computer, you can figure out a car. You might not LIKE working on a car, you might not LIKE getting dirty, and you might not want to do the heavier, more involved/complicated jobs on a car, but you’re clearly not stupid and therefore, you can learn how to service your own car - or at the very least, know when to look for signs of things going wrong.