This is my second experience with the engine light illuminating. For my current, locally made car, this is the first time the engine light is illuminating. I was driving back from work, and halfway on the highway the light turned on, and I could feel the engine losing power. With the emergency light turned on, I drove slowly to the side of the road and stopped the car engine. The warning engine light is still illuminated after I start the engine. Below is what Google got when I searched for it.
If your car engine light turns on, it indicates a potential issue, so check your gas cap for tightness first. If the light is flashing or accompanied by a loss of power, smoke, or unusual noise, stop driving immediately and call for assistance. If the light is steady and the car drives normally, it’s a less urgent issue; have it diagnosed by a mechanic as soon as possible, as it could be something minor or a serious problem.
Now reading back the Google result, I should have stopped the car and called road assistance as mine is blinking. I noticed if my car is stopped, like at a traffic light, it is just illuminating, and when I start driving, it blinks.
I Google search again, and this round my search keyword is “engine light is blinking,” and below are the results.
A blinking check engine light signals a serious engine problem, likely an engine misfire, and you should pull over and stop driving as soon as it’s safe to do so. Continued driving could cause significant engine damage. Common causes for a misfire include faulty spark plugs, ignition coils, or fuel delivery issues. Get your mechanic immediately for a proper diagnosis and repair.
Let’s continue my story. Then I slowly drove to my usual car workshop and left the car there. The workshop had already closed, and I went back the next morning. The mechanic helped check and told me that it was the engine gasket that caused the engine oil to leak onto one of the coils.
I followed the mechanic’s advice and replaced the gasket along with all three coils. They told me that just doing one coil might lead to power issues with the engine. I opted for an OEM coil, as it is a difference of RM 45 compared to the original coil per piece. It took two hours for the whole repair process.
Total bill costs RM 690 with three ignition plug coils (RM 185 x 3) and one valve conett gasket (RM 135). There is no separate labor charge, as it is already included in the price. I search in Shopee; it will be much cheaper to buy the parts directly and just pay the labor charges at the workshop. But I feel the workshop also needs to earn profits.
Okay, your next question is, why is my car repair post under the Finance category? Car repair will also need to be part of our budget, even after retirement.