I would appreciate a response asap since I'm about to pick my 2005 STR up from my mechanics and need to know if he's trying to pull some ****. I dropped car off for rear brakes and oil change..I mentioned that the car seemed to be idling a little weird but not major, just see what he thought and to give me a call...never heard back so the next day I called and asked the girl who answered and she said he was still "chasing down those codes"..there were no codes or warning lights lit when I dropped it off so I asked her which code and she said "flight recorder" or something and apparently there were others too...is it possible that my car was throwing codes and both the MIL light and the message center were not working at the same time?? I've never had an issue where there was not some kind of signal that something was wrong but now the girl is telling me that my light wasn't working??? WHAT?? However whatever codes there were they couldn't find a "fault" so thats the end of that...UNLESS I get there and they've tacked on a $200.00 charge for diagnostics that I never asked for nor authorized...sorry this is so screwy but trying to provide enough info for some guidance ...is there a test for the message center? all the lights come on and cycle off when I start the car so how could the light not be working ?? not in the mood to be bent over today...

 

Codes are kept a long time even if MIL is off - though often people don't really care since they're old. Flight recorder stays forever till cleared with jag-type tool I think.

Weird idle would have me looking at fuel trims with live data.

 

Could the car be "throwing codes" and no type of warning to me but miraculously the repair shop discovered the "light" not working and found the codes they spent 2 days trying to trace and yet found no "fault"..I'm just not willing to get stuck with a charge for diagnostics I didn't not ask for or authorize and a charge for them not finding or fixing anything...that's what I feel like I'm being set up for today. .

 

Well you can tell if the MIL is OK at any ignition on as it self tests.

If that's OK and it goes off, then no current codes. Any current codes put the MIL on.

They'd probably pull codes when looking at any odd thing such as the idle you mentioned.

 

So they would pull codes even if there is no MIL light? That's my whole issue with them..nothing warranted diagnostics..even if it were warranted, shouldn't I have been called for authorization due to the service that was scheduled and authorized was brakes and oil change, not chasing phantom codes that only they have seen..The car has been running great and it just bugs the hell out of me that they would run diagnostics that I didn't ask for or authorize and expect to charge me for something they didn't find or fix?? I am not the one today..I'd hate to have to show my *** up there today but I've spent literally $1000.00's up there over the past 2 years and I think I've reached my limit with them...Know any good mechanics in Augusta Georgia.?

 

But you said you told them it had a weird idle so they would likely investigate and to do that would pull codes. If you didn't want them to investigate, surely best not to tell them about issues.

You wouldn't want to hunt for a weird idle without using OBD! Could be very costly making someone work without the right tool...

 

Okay, fine...I just really wanted to get irate this morning I suppose...they actually took the charge for the diagnostic off my bill so it was in the ballpark of what i had expected...got myself all worked up for nothing...got my car back...runs great...life is good...thanks for your help..especially in "deescalating" me before I made a complete *** of myself...