kchat99

My catalytic converter needs replaced but as I do not have to pass an emissions test in my county in Virginia there is absolutely no rush. My check engine light came on yesterday and afternoon taking it into the shop to make sure nothing besides the catalytic converter was bad I asked the mechanic if he could just reset my check engine light. He says he cannot do that, won’t give a specific reason but acts like it is not possible. I’ve had the light reset once on this car (when the converter was originally diagnosed) and many times on my old lexus at the end of its life. Is there any reason, either legal or mechanical, that anyone is aware of that would stop the mechanic from resetting my check engine light?

N4wwt

He should be able to. If not, disconnect the battery for a few minutes and then reconnect. Sometimes this will make it go away until it shoots another code.

DennisMik

If the problem is not corrected, resetting the light will not accomplish much. The The ECU will detect the problem and turn the light on again.

Besides the federal laws, every state has its own laws about the air pollution controls on cars. If a mechanic bypasses or removes one of these devices, he can lose his license, get fined up the wazoo, go to jail. Any or all of these. Or maybe it's that he knows the light will come back on and he doesn't want to waste his time doing it.

mandyfig

Invest in an OBD Scanner and you can reset your CEL. Plus a variety of other things you can do. They are so cheap nowadays.