Yeah, $86 for a check engine light is quite a bit. Maybe prices have
gone up since I last took my car in to a dealership, but the last time I
did I spent only $40. This was at a Saturn dealership.

If you have any AutoZone stores in your area, they can check the service
engine light for you for free...provided they have the equipment.

-AGS

On Friday, August 13, 2004 8:59 PM, Brian Drake wrote:
> There I was, on the way home from the airport Thursday night after a
> week out of town on business when my 'check engine' light comes on
> (2000 Accord).... I immediately dial up the dealership, where they
> advise me to bring it in asap. I tell them Ill drop it off that
> night at the key drop so they could look at it the next day. When I
> arrive at the house from the airport and exit the car, I smell gas
> fumes, so I pop the gas latch and the gas cap is very loose, almost a
> quarter turn loose in fact. I tighten it up and noticed
> (unbelievably for the first time) the written warning on the gas cap
> that a loose cap will set off the engine light..... well, I think to
> myself, there's the problem. But being a little paranoid, I decide
> to take the car into the dealership in any case. When I drop off the
> keys, I write on the form that the engine light came on but soon
> afterwards I noticed the cap was loose.... This morning and the tech
> called me and told me that they hooked the car up 'to the computers'
> and everything was cool, that it was the gas cap that set off the
> engine light.
>
> Fast forward to this evening when I go and pick the car up..... and
> to my complete amazement, they charged me $86 dollars for the
> diagnostic test.
> Mind you they did no actual work, just ran the test. I was livid. I
> couldn't believe that they charged me almost a hundred dollars to
> tell me that my gas cap was loose (note that I bought the car at this
> dealership).... don't get me wrong, Im all about compensating
> someone for their time, but I called an independent Honda shop where
> even they were shocked at this price, and told me they would have
> probably not charged me anything, maybe the standard $30.00 fee if I
> wasn't a regular customer (i.e.
> didn't have anything else done).
>
> Question: Am I off base to be upset here? I have calls into the tech
> that did the 'test' and the manager of the service department for
> some kind of explanation. It would seem that they could have
> reasoned that it was the loose cap that tripped the light (since I
> wrote it down for them), reset the light and fired up the car. No
> light = problem solved. Light comes back on = a different problem,
> therefore testing required
>
> Yes, I know, it was stupid to take it to the dealer and I have
> learned my lesson, but it still stings pretty bad. I am a huge Honda
> fan, but this has soured me a little.... funny thing is that we were
> going in to look at Odysseys at that dealership this weekend, not
> now.
>
> brian drake
> charlotte, nc