The total repair cost will vary based on the condition of your vehicle and the number of repairs needed to fix your symptom. Proper diagnosis will save you money by finding the exact repairs needed to fix your car right the first time.
Like we noted in the last section, general diagnosis symptoms are the most vague of the bunch. There are several diagnostic spectrums, electrical diagnosis, drivability diagnostics, engine diagnostics, transmission diagnostics, and the list could continue for about 5 or 10 more spectrums of diagnostics. The most important take-away here, is that general diagnostics are diagnostics that have no other spectrum in which they fit, or the problem is unknown. This means that any vehicle left outside of a repair facility with the keys and an authorization to perform diagnosis will be diagnosed under the general diagnosis spectrum.
When the Check Engine Light comes on, you may experience engine performance issues such as poor acceleration, rough idling, or an engine that won't start. In some cases, no abnormal symptoms will be experienced. Other systems like the transmission or ABS can cause the Check Engine Light to illuminate and lights for those systems can come on at the same time. Similar lights may say "Check Engine Soon", "Malfunction Indicator Light" or just "Check". In rare case the engine can overheat.
It is easy to ignore your 2026 Kia K5’s Check Engine Light if your car can still drive, but doing so can lead to significant issues over time. The Check Engine Light coming on signals that a fault has been detected by your vehicle’s computer and requires attention. This fault can have consequences that include a rough-running engine, poor fuel economy, a dying battery, failed smog tests, and other potential problems that may result in expensive repairs such as having to replace the catalytic converters.
If the Check Engine Light is on, that means there are fault codes stored in the engine’s computer. Thankfully, it is easy to see what these codes are with many OBD-II code scanners. Most auto parts stores will also scan for codes free of charge. You can use our OBD-II code guide to find out what your codes mean. It is important to remember that just because a code is stored for a certain part doesn’t always mean the part should be replaced. Many sensors will trigger a fault if a reading is out of range, meaning that the sensor may be operating just fine, it is just detecting something wrong. The Check Engine Light is most commonly triggered for issues in the emission system, but can also mean issues in the ignition system, engine timing system, transmission, and more. Codes from a Check Engine Light should be treated as just one part of a complete diagnostic process.
When the Check Engine Light (CEL) comes on it means there is a fault detected by your car’s diagnostics which may be related to the engine, transmission, or emission system. The technician will use a scanner that connects to the vehicle’s diagnostic port to determine the specific trouble codes that have been revealed by the Check Engine Light. From these codes, the technician can identify the specific fault to diagnose underlying problems and provide you with an estimate of the cost of repairs.
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