The Car Care Clinic with the Dr John

98 Buick Century - Engine light problems

Ron, from Swindon

Question

The service engine light will not go off in my 1998 Buick Century. I took it to the dealership and they said there is something wrong with the transmission. However, in the service manual it says that this light only refers to problems with the emission controls. Are they making this up? They want 400 pounds to look at the transmission and they couldn’t tell me exactly what they would be repairing.

Answer

Ron, The owner’s manual is not telling you the whole story. The Check Engine Light can come on with transmission problems as well. 400 pounds to look at a transmission and not be able to tell you what they are planning to repair is concerning to say the least. Someone has to have some idea of what’s going wrong or they wouldn’t be removing the transmission. The computer scan can’t always tell you what’s broken it can however point to possibilities, whereas a visual inspection can.

With this information and an understanding of the transmission operation a tech has a good idea where they’re going to look and what they might find once the transmission is disassembled. If they are not willing to spend some time with you and provide an explanation, then you should find a repair facility that is willing to. Certainly get one or two more estimates. You should have the scan results from the first place because you obviously paid for something. If you have these results take them with you to the other facilities.

Good Luck!
Dr. John