Hi-Tech Robbery: Service Engine Soon Light Really Means Pay Money for Nothing

But to live outside the law you must be honest

My "service engine soon" light has been displayed on my dashboard for most of the last two-and-a-half years. I had the car checked at a dealer (it went on while I was traveling out of state) who assured me that it was not a drivability issue but was related to the exhaust system and had to do with meeting federal emissions standards and improving gas mileage.

The cost of the repair was going to be significant, somewhere around $1,000 to get it fixed. So, I opted to let it wait and not put that much money on a car with 100,000+ miles on it.

At first, the light would come and go. But as time went on, the light stayed lit longer and longer. In 2006, the light was off for a total of one day. I took the car to be inspected that day and it passed without any problems.

I was waiting for the gods to smile upon me again in 2007, but it never happened. One Friday night in December, I stopped in at a friend's house after covering a game for the newspaper. On the way home I ran into a DUI checkpoint and got nailed for my expired inspection sticker.

Now, that certainly beats getting arrested for a DUI, like several people looked like they were at this stop, but still it was a real downer for me. I could either pay the $145 to make it go away or show up in court with proof of inspection and the possibility of the judge waving my fine.

I opted for the latter, although in retrospect I wonder if I made the right choice.

Since my "service engine light" was displayed in orange (not red) on my dash, a buddy suggested that I go get the car inspected anyway and that it might pass. Since that was the path of least financial outlay, that's the one I chose. I even went to an old-fashioned garage, rather than an upscale service center with leather chairs and TVs in the waiting room, figuring that if it didn't pass maybe the mechanic would offer me a sticker for $50 or something.

No such luck.