Q&A

The check engine light went on in my car. The car ran roughly and almost stalled. There had been a hard rain at the time I had last filled the tank the day before. I have no experience with auto mechanics (or relatively little.) I added to canisters of "dry gas." Initially the car ran well and the check engine light went out. Though the car seemed to run just fine, the check engine light appeared again. I took it to a friend who is a mechanic and he said that he was getting a general code for the Evaporative Emmissions System. I told him I may have driven the car a block or two with the gas cap off. He resent the engine light, told me to fill the tank, and wait a week. Unfortunately, the light came back on. He said that diagnosing and fixing the problem could cost $500 since there are over 30 parts. Is this an accurate estimate?