Car repair codes (Check Engine Light) get attention of Congress

WASHINGTON — Here's the problem: Your car's dashboard light says "Check engine," but your neighborhood mechanic can't turn it off. He doesn't have the special codes. So a trip to the dealer is required.

That little annoyance got some big attention Tuesday, as a U.S. Senate panel tried to pressure auto manufacturers to stop withholding the special codes and diagnostic tools that independent garages need to repair cars.

Independent garages suspect some car companies are trying to keep the codes a secret and force them out of business.

"Without service information, we will ultimately be forced to close our doors," Dale Feste, owner of Dale Feste Automotive in Hopkins, told a Senate Commerce subcommittee.

More than 100 auto mechanics crowded the hearing room to support a code-sharing bill by Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn. But not the auto manufacturers, who said they already share virtually all repair information with local garages — or soon will.

"Auto manufacturers do not intentionally withhold service information from the auto service industry," insisted John Cabaniss, a director for the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers.

"To do so would be contrary to their best interests. Automakers want their customers … to obtain effective service no matter where or when their vehicles need maintenance."

The disagreement left some senators puzzled, but the picture eventually cleared. Feste explained that some carmakers — particularly General Motors, but also Ford — have excellent records of sharing information, computer codes and diagnostic tools.

But many European-based automakers do not, Feste said, and independent garage owners want to halt any trend toward secrecy as emission, braking and other auto systems grow ever more complex.

In response to earlier complaints, 20 car companies have promised that by January, they'll provide independent garages "the same diagnostic and repair capabilities" that they provide their franchised dealers, for all recent cars and light trucks. Honda and Porsche did not sign the agreement.

To the automakers, the issue is "really a 'parts bill' masquerading as a 'repair bill,'" said Greg Dana, an official at the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. They fear the bill would force them to release proprietary information, allowing outside manufacturers to "copy our parts and sell them as their own," he said.

Said Scott Lambert, executive vice president of the Minnesota Auto Dealers Association, "There's two codes the manufacturers have. There's default codes, which is what all the dealers use, all the technicians use to diagnose cars, that's the common code, that's widely available, and is being made more available …

"The second code is the calibration code, and nobody has those," he added. "Those are the background software. … The dealers don't have the calibration codes, and the independent repair shops don't need 'em. … What the Wellstone bill does is make all of that, both the default and the calibration codes, public to everybody. And what happens then is that the aftermarket parts manufacturers will be able to make cheaper knock-off parts."

In any case, Wellstone said he "would be delighted if the manufacturers sit down with the mechanics" to fix the problem without congressional action. But if not, he promised to move ahead, although it's very unlikely Congress could act this year.

Either solution would be fine for Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. Dorgan's local mechanic couldn't turn off the "Check engine" light on his dashboard, either, he said.

They're only covered under warranty IF you get the full bumper to bumper. And he's right, they do cost $1000 to replace new. Homey don't do the used parts game, been there, done that, replaced the same part half a dozen times, no mas.

I have owned many cars with EEC systems that I drove for many years and well over 100,000 miles and I have never, ever had a 'computer' related failure.

Generally, EEC processors do not fail and certainly not when near-new. Sensors will sometimes fail, not the processor. That's why used auto EEC processors are cheap to buy (about $200.)- they are rarely needed. If you have a processor that fails and you wish to pay $1,000. for a replacement, be my guest.

Salesmen are notorious blowhards who will say anything for a sale or just to smooze you. If you choose to believe them, that's your option.

I have. The only part of the computer that broke was the part that turns on the check engine light. One of the few times my mechanic resorted to the code book, when he decyphered the code it was "diagnostic computer malfunctioning". Even the battery trick wouldn't turn the damn thing off. His advice, just don't take it out of town. Since we drove the car to him that meant the EFI part was fine and we never had any difficulty, and the cost to replace the computer was about $1000 which given the value of the car (about $3000 at that time, them Charades didn't hold value, but if you were religious on your oil changes they kept up) just didn't make sense. That car drove for 5 year with that damn light on, until it finally got totalled in an accident, else the light would still be on right now.

When it comes to electronics your milage may vary. Out here in the dusty desert with the plastic rotting sun electronics don't have the life expectancy they have elsewhere. But we never rust out the bottom of the car, so it's a fair trade.

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