One common piece of advice that car enthusiasts share is that you don’t always need to take your vehicle to the shop when the check engine light comes on.
The check engine light is, by design, pretty vague. The indicator itself only tells you that something is believed to be wrong with the engine or the general function of the car—not what exactly the problem is.
As a result, many people simply take their car to the shop the minute the light comes on. While this will likely tell them what’s wrong with their vehicle, it will also likely result in a diagnostic fee, and a potential repair fee.
But some car problems that cause the dreaded check engine light to come on are surprisingly easy to fix by yourself. That’s why many car owners buy their own OBD rreader. This allows them to see what the car says the problem is.
That said, this is not a definitive diagnosis. Now, one woman is sharing her story about learning what can be wrong with your car when the check engine light comes on—and how much you might end up spending as a result.
What’s Wrong With The Woman’s Car?
In a video with over 28,000 views, TikTok user Miya Sweet (@miya_sweet) says she recently visited AutoZone because “some light came on” in her car.
According to Sweet, an employee plugged an OBD reader into her car. After looking at the code, he said, “Something’s wrong with your transmission. You need to go see a mechanic.”
From here, Sweet says she scheduled an appointment with a mechanic. Sweet says the total cost was to be $145: $100 for the diagnostic, and $45 to “look at oil.”
“Get there. [The mechanic] takes the truck to the back, 45 minutes to an hour,” she recalls. “He comes back. He said, ‘So, it's not the transmission itself. It was [a part] hooked up in front of the transmission.’”
Sweet confesses that she didn’t understand what that meant. The mechanic then told her that he would have to find the part and that he couldn’t give her a price yet because he was unsure of the cost.
When Sweet left, she says she was not charged anything. Rather than be elated, she speculates that the mechanic was simply being kind because the expected costs will likely be significantly higher. Sweet implies that the total cost could be around $1,500 for labor alone. In response to this idea, Sweet jokes that she could help do the repairs to try to cut the cost in half.
Why Isn’t A Diagnostic Tool Always Accurate?
In Sweet’s situation, she got her car’s diagnostic codes read, then took the vehicle to a mechanic who told her that the problem was with another part of the car.
So why can’t diagnostic readers tell you the exact problem with the car?
Generally speaking, an OBD-II scanner is not designed to tell you what physical part has failed. Instead, it can mostly only share what system or circuit in the car has detected a problem. From there, a technician can look at the problem area and figure out what is really wrong with the car.
In most cases, a car is not designed to figure out why a part isn’t working. Instead, its warning light simply tells the driver that the part isn’t responding properly. In the case of a transmission, the P0700 code indicates there’s a “transmission control system malfunction.” This could mean that the transmission is completely broken. Or it could mean that there’s a minor problem with the wiring, shift solenoids, transmission fluid, or another issue.
This is why a readout from a diagnostic tool should not be taken as a diagnosis. Instead, a diagnostic tool is simply one part of the repair process, which should then be followed by a thorough investigation of the vehicle.
Drivers Say To Prepare For An Expensive Fix
In the comments, many people claimed that Sweet’s joking offer to help the mechanic will almost surely be rejected, as she would likely get in the way rather than provide any actual assistance.
Many also told her to get ready to pay a lot of money.
“Girl Code: Bad Transmission/ Engine = New Car,” said a user.
“Make them do a BREAKDOWN of everything And show PARTS, LABOR, RECEIPTS, ETC,” advised another.
“I tried doing half the work myself before...and made it worse. Eeeeeh!! Then it wouldn't start so I had to pay for the tow. In the end I paid more than the original quote!! Yup! That's me,” recalled a third.
We’ve reached out to Sweet via Instagram and Facebook direct message. This story will be updated if she replies.
