The manual says Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) comes on when there is an emission related malfunction. If it comes on and stayes on there is a malfunction in the engine system. Get thee to a VW dealer and get it fixed right away.Is this easy to fix myself?
Most of the check engine lights happened during a period when the injectors were clogging because the fuel was coming from low cost stations. The dealer got me at first for emissions control stuff but it became obvious over a period of 20,000 miles that it was fuel related. Cans of fuel additive to clean the injectors, then using only Chevron premium since has made that go away. Some dealers want to chemically flush the fuel system, and that works too. just expensive, like $100. I noticed the car was hard starting at first, and the code readout says Misfire Another was the day after a service when the light came on and they read the computer output to me - something about Mass air flow indicator. I think they broke something but it was about the same age others have had that problem. That was a couple hundred. The worst was after my sunroof drain plugged during a rainy week, and I didn't notice the water on the passenger side of the floor. Under that floor is the electronics for the automatic transmission. That was fifteen hundred dollars. A towel on the floor would have saved some big bucks there. The warning light started coming on about 4 days before the transmission started acting up. My blunder not taking the car to the dealer right away when the light came on. My experiences say if the light comes on, take it in. If it comes on again after they fix it, they didn't. Don't let them charge more than $50 to read the computer output. There are places out there that will read it for free if you will get it fixed there, and with the age of our cars, that is not a bad deal. I do like VW dealers for service though because they usually have seen someone else's car with the same problem before and will get to the solution faster. Good luck.
The biggest thing is to know why it came on, (requires an engine scan) AND what needs to be done to fix it. I would start by going to Advanced or Autozone and get a free scan. Next part may not be so easy. Some codes require several steps to fix them. Like the code for coolant temp sensor Most times to fix that you have to replace the temp. sensor AND change the thermostat and flush the cooling system. Word of caution. Many times with these free scans they will tell you it is an oxygen sensor and they will sell you one without saying which one(there are anywhere from 3 to 5 of them. But fear not--there are a lot of simple things it could be too. Like if it comes up as an evap leak the easy thing to do is replace the gas cap and try it. If you choose to take it somewhere, rather than the dealer I would find a VW specialist to scan it. Expect to pay $50-90 just fo the complete scan and diagnosis Hope this helped
That light means something is wrong, but it doesn't tell you what is wrong. For that, you need a diagnostic computer. You can get one at an auto parts store or Walmart for $30 to $50. Or you can go to some auto parts stores, and they will let you borrow one to pull the error codes. Along with the computer comes a book that tells you what the codes mean. Once you know the codes and their meaning, you may or may not know what to fix or how to fix it. It is possible that the problem was temporary, and just clearing the error codes will solve the problem. If after the codes are cleared, and the light goes off, and you drive 50 or 100 miles, the light comes back on, then there is still a problem. Some problems require additional equipment to diagnose the problem. Most do it yourselfers do not have this equipment. Borrow a computer and pull the codes, and then decide from there. I hope this helps.
