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Common problems
Engine Management Light On
What an amber engine light actually means, and when it's safe to keep driving.
An engine management light means the car's computer has logged a fault. It doesn't tell you how serious it is — the colour and the behaviour do.
Amber and steady
A fault has been recorded but the car doesn't consider it urgent. Common causes are emissions-related: a sensor reading outside its expected range, a small air leak, a sticking valve. Usually safe to drive to a garage, but it won't clear itself and it will fail an MOT.
Amber and flashing
Stop driving as soon as it's safe to. A flashing light normally indicates a misfire dumping unburnt fuel into the exhaust, which can destroy a catalytic converter in minutes. This is the one where continuing to drive turns a modest bill into a large one.
Red
Pull over as soon as it's safe. Red warnings cover oil pressure, coolant temperature and charging faults, all of which can destroy an engine quickly. Don't drive it to us — call and we'll collect it.
Why the light came on after fuelling
A loose or faulty fuel cap is a genuinely common cause. The evaporative system pressure-tests itself, and a cap that isn't sealing registers as a leak. Worth checking before anything else.
Not safe to drive?
You don't have to risk it. We transport vehicles as our other business, so a car that shouldn't be driven can be collected on a transporter rather than nursed to a garage.
non-runner being loaded
Questions
Can I just clear it?
You can, and it will come back. Clearing the code also wipes the freeze-frame data recorded when the fault occurred, which is often the most useful thing for diagnosing it.
Will it fail the MOT?
Yes. An illuminated engine management light is a failure item in its own right, regardless of what caused it.