Most of us have been there before. There you are driving your longtime trusty vehicle down the road and the dreaded check engine warning light or malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) illuminates sending a syncing feeling down your spine. Great, now what should I do? The typical reaction is to make an immediate appointment with a local repair shop / mechanic. But did you know that not all check engine lights are equal? Let's dig into a couple owners manuals and see what information we can glean. Step 1 - Check your vehicle owners manual An owners manual contains a lot of useful information on your warning lights. Take a look before you make an appointment to filter out any obvious issues This may seem like a no brainer, but you'd be surprised how many people don't take this step. Typically the manufacturer will have a detailed explanation of the various types of check engine lights displayed and their meaning. Look under "Warning Lights" in your index to quickly find the