engine light on car

If the engine light’s steady and amber, your car’s having a sulk, not a crisis—tighten the fuel cap, drive gently, and book a scan. If it’s flashing, that’s a misfire doing the tango in your catalytic converter; pull over soon before it turns expensive.

Plug in an OBD-II scanner (even the cheap ones do) and note the code—don’t just wipe it like a toddler’s fingerprints and hope for the best. Rough idle, fuel smell or no power? Call roadside assistance or a tow, then let a proper mechanic sort it. Ignore it long enough and you’ll be shopping for parts with names that sound Latin and invoices that look like an ATO bill.