Auto-parts-store scans are free and incomplete. They print a code and a $200 part. We test the circuit, the sensor, the fuel trim, and the obvious vacuum leak before anyone orders a box.
Intermittent problems (the light that comes and goes on the way to Lake Nona) need a conversation: when it happens, in what weather, after what fuel. Bring that. We will chase it.
If the car is in limp mode or not safe to drive, say so when you book. We will treat it as a priority window.
Buying the car first? Mobile pre-purchase inspection in Orlando is the $120 look before the money moves.
A code is a starting point
A check-engine light is a message, not a parts list. We read the codes and the freeze-frame data, then look at live data. A free parts-store printout names a code. It does not test the circuit, the sensor, the fuel trim, or a vacuum leak. We do those tests before anyone orders a box.
Intermittent problems need details: when it happens, what the weather was, and what fuel you just bought. Bring that. We will chase it. If the car is in limp mode or not safe to drive, say so when you book so we treat it as a priority window.
Diagnostic time is billed. If you approve the repair in the same visit, we apply that time fairly, and you see it on the estimate. You leave with written findings you can keep, even if you do not approve the repair that day.
A code that says catalyst, oxygen sensor, or misfire is a place to start. It is not an order form. We look at fuel trim, whether the sensor is actually out of range, and whether a vacuum leak or a loose cap explains it. Then we tell you what we found in plain words.
If the car is safe to drive and the light is solid, we book a window. If it is flashing, or the car is in limp mode, say that when you book. We will not ask you to drive it across town to find out.
Freeze-frame data is the snapshot the computer saved when the light came on: speed, engine temperature, and load. A code that set at idle is a different problem from one that set on the highway. We read that snapshot with the code, then test the circuit, the sensor, the fuel trim, or a vacuum leak before anyone orders a part.
Flashing check engine light
A flashing light usually means a misfire that can damage the catalytic converter. Drive as little as possible and call. A solid light can often wait for a booked window. A flashing one should not.
Write down when the light came on, whether the car shook, and whether it happened after fuel, rain, or a long idle. Those details are part of the diagnosis. A code without the story is how people buy the wrong part.
We work at the car. You do not drop it off. If the repair is not something we can finish in the driveway, you still leave with the findings and you have not paid for a tow to learn that.
Written findings are yours to keep. If you want a second opinion, you have the codes, the freeze frame, and what was tested, not a verbal 'it needs a sensor.'
Another shop tried to tell me I needed $2,000 in repairs, but these guys were totally honest and saved me a ton of money.
Questions about this job
Do you charge to scan?
Diagnostic time is billed. If you approve the repair in the same visit, we apply it fairly. You will see it on the estimate.
Related services
FD Auto Solutions is a mobile mechanic in Orlando.