It doesn’t matter what make or model car you have. Every car is going to eventually have a check engine light come on. The best way to save money here is to simply know why it’s on. 

Our Example Code P0455

What’s A Check Engine Light?

Truthfully a check engine light can come on for thousands of reasons. It can be something as simple as your gas cap is loose. Or something super complicated that it can baffle some of the best mechanics. But Let’s go over a quick way on how you can save a ton of money on costly unnecessary auto repairs. 

Learn Why It’s On

I have been a mechanic for over 15 years now and I will admit that Check Engine Lights can scar a lot of people. People will sometimes panic and begin thinking that this will instantly cost them hundreds or thousands of dollars. But there are two simple methods that you can use to learn what’s wrong with your car. 

Method #1 – (Free One)

Nowadays you can go to just about any chain auto parts store and get your car scanned for free. All you do is drive up to your local auto parts store (I prefer Advance Auto Parts, you can read on how to save money there HERE) and ask the store associate if they can scan your car. I have never seen any of these chains charge for this. After the associates connects a scanner to your car, the associate will give you the code/s the car has on its computer. Most of the associates at these stores will usually give you possible causes and possible solutions. 

Method #2 – (Your Own Scanner)

Over the years I have gone through many different vehicle scanners (OBDI Scanner) and I have to say that the best one I found is one of the lower cost ones. You can find some for as low as $30 but they usually have very limited capabilities and you can spend thousands on specialized scanner. But, Blue Driver has been my favorite. It’s usually $99 dollars. The greatest part of this scanner is that it is frequently updated by the manufacture through your phone and actually has great customer service (The updates are free!). This scanner will usually be better than any of the chain stores usually use and you can simply rescan your cars computer in seconds and at anytime.

Link To Scanner

Quick Note –

The Blue Driver is super easy to use. You simply download the app and connect this little device to your cars OBDI port. Every modern car has this port. This port is usually located driver side just below the dashboard below the steering wheel. On the app you press scan and it tells you what issues the cars computer has detected.  

Sample Problem

As we stated above we are going to use the code P0455 for our sample problem here.

Using method #1 or #2 you will be given this code. This code is extremely common and usually super easy to fix.

What Does P0455 Mean?

P0455 means Large Leak in the Evaporative emissions Control System, or Large EVAP Leak. To find what these codes mean is actually super easy. You simply google any code you receive and you will begin getting possible causes.

Now What Do I Do?

If you google P0455, you will be shown a ton of pages and information about this specific code. Most of these pages will direct you to first inspect your gas cap. If your gas Cap is loose voilá, you “most likely” fixed the issue. If it seems fastened properly a very likely cause for this issue is your gas cap is probably bad. 

What Would a Mechanic Do?

In many instances many mechanics will tell you to just replace your gas cap. But if your car is at the mechanics there are a few different routes that this can go, even though they end with the same problem. 

Route #1

1. 1. You will receive a charge to scan and read the cars computer (usually the same as we did above).
   2. Depending on the order the mechanic shop takes. The mechanic shop will perform a smoke test (this can get a bit pricy)
   3. There is a method test the gas cap (should be before the smoke test but not always done in this order)
   4. Finally you will most likely be sold a gas cap with an up charge. (should be expected)

Route #2

1. 1. You will receive a charge to scan and read the cars computer.
   2. If the mechanic is attempting to save you money at the chance the light will come back. The mechanic will simply replace your gas cap and just tell you to let them know if the light comes back.  

What Should I Do?

From being a mechanic for the last 15 years, here is my suggestion. 

First, I would ask you to make sure your gas cap is tighten properly. Secondly, only if you where a bit more savvy in repairing your car. I would ask you to visually inspect the fuel lines. Just make sure nothing looks broken or cut (but if you weren’t I would say skip this). 

If you told me the gas cap looks fine I would simply tell you to replace your gas cap. Clear the codes and see if the light comes back after a few days. I do recommend using dealer parts when possible but just try to never pay dealer prices. 

How Do I Save Money On Dealer Parts?

One of my favorite sources to purchase parts for my cars is through RockAuto.com. Using their site may seem a bit intimidating at first, but once you try it’s actually really easy. You will many times find that original parts for your car will be less expensive than after market parts. Also Original are usually easier to work with because they are usually identical to the ones the factory installed.

Conclusion

If your Check Engine Light is on and you don’t have a OBDI scanner, simply take your car over to one of the chain auto parts stores and get it scanned for free. The associate that scans your car will at least be able to give you free advice on the most likely possible causes. In this instance this issue can be fixed with a $15 dollar gas cap, when you would have most likely spent a few hundred at a mechanic shop.

I recommend purchasing original manufactures brands on line. But also know that you can get deep discounts at Advance Auto Parts. Find out how (HERE) 

Get Your Own Scanner

I use this scanner all the time and I recommend it to everyone. It has over 7k reviews on Amazon!

The post Check Engine Light On? appeared first on How To Save A Penny.

I wanted to share this tip because it has really saved me a lot of money over the years. Even though you can regularly save money at most of the major autoparts brands. I have found that Advance Auto Parts offers the greatest discounts for the least amount of effort.

How Much Savings?

I have never really Shopped at Advance Auto Parts and paid full price. It has become so easy to just save a significant amount of money here.

Personally I can’t recall a time that I couldn’t find a discount here. The discounts range from 15% to 40%+. And here we are going to show you how to make sure you never pay full price for parts on your car.

How?

This first part is just learning how to use AdvanceAutoParts.com, You can skip ahead to the Second part to learn how to get the discounts

Truthfully I find getting discounts at Advance Auto Parts easier and faster than most auto parts stores. Here Im going to go over how to get them.

First – Learn Their Website!

Over the years I have found Advance Auto Parts has the best and easiest website to use. Both for actually finding what I need and just the ease at which I can get discounts. I would recommend setting up a free account online. This way it becomes so easy to make purchases and find out which stores have your items in stock. 

Their Loyalty Program!

All the major Auto Part Brands have their version of loyalty programs and truthfully they are pretty similar. But recently Advance Auto Parts has revamped their program to include all purchases. It use to be that your purchase would have to reach certain thresholds to earn the most. But, when you sign up for their free account you will also begin to earn rewards dollars that are extremely easy to use. They will usually show up at check out.

How To Find What You Need!

There are a few ways to find the parts that you need. Here we will cover two of them.

First – Do it Yourself 

First – When you sign into your free account on AdvanceAutoParts.com, you will be able to enter your vehicle or vehicles (you add and remove as many as your want). After entering your vehicle information you simply search the part you’re looking for. Whether it be a simple “wiper blade” or a new “alternator”, you can just type it in the search box. You will then be given a list of items, and it will actually give you live inventor availability. Even though I have had rare instances of this being incorrect, you will receive an email notifications. 

This is the best part. For those times you need your parts right away for you or your customer. #1 You can see who has the part you need in stock. And, second when you place an order you can usually pick up within minutes. The store usually gets your order with in 10 minutes or so.

Second – Calling In

Over the years I have found finding the parts yourself much easier now that I have done it so much. But, Let’s say you’re looking for a part you have no clue how to find on their site. This can be for a few reasons, you may not know what the item you are looking for is called or you just need a bit of assistance looking for it.

All I do when I need a bit of help is I call my local Advance Auto Parts and ask for the part that I am looking for. Once we find the part all I ask is for the part number, I then just put this number in the search box on AdvanceAutoParts.com. This actually helps in more than one way. First you can see if this is the part you are looking for, there’s usually good quality pictures online that you can match to the item you have. Second by having the part number you can easily just purchase the item on their site and get all the discounts.

Now Let’s Get To The Money Saving Part!

Now that you have your free AdvanceAutoParts.com account and have the part that you are wanting to buy (this works over and over again). Lets go over a few super easy steps to get the discounts of as much as 40% on almost any item. 

Step One –

This is really the only bummer, but really minimal inconvenience. You have to purchase the part online for in store pickup or delivery. Just to be clear of how little inconvenience this is. I have purchased online while being in the store. The store usually receives your order with in 10 minutes, but know that it can take up to 30 minutes ( I have only had to wait about 20 minutes probably only once over the last few years).

Step Two  (15% to 25%)

Now that you know that you have to make the purchase online (really easy on your phone), you just have to get the discount code. To get this all you have to do is go to their website. At the top you will usually have a discount code there that shows 15-20% and most of the time you will get a popup on their website that asks if you want to “activate” a 25% discount. Here you can simply put your email and the discount code at the top will turn to 25% and give you 6 digit code. Just by simply going to their website and paying online vs in store, you just saved 25%. This isn’t bad at all. BUT WAIT, THER’S MORE!!

Step Three  (+ 5% to 10%)

Now if you’re like me and you try to save as much as you can, let’s take this even further and save even more! Hopefully you have heard of this company before because you can really save money with almost no extra effort at all. And, the best part of them is, this company works with tons of other stores and brands. 

This company use to go by the name of Ebates and now has changed their name to Rakuten. To simply get this extra discount all you do is make an account with them. Every 3 months Rakuten will mail you a check with all the money you have saved with them. It’s pretty cool when you get a check for almost no effort. After starting your free account all you have to do is simply use their app or website to make the purchases.

The App

I use my phone for just about everything, and their app is super easy to use. After setting up free account (On the App or Online) All you have to do is down load the app from the Apple or Google Play store and login.

Click Here to Get it!

Even though Rakuten works for tons of other store that you will find super easy, just search AdvanceAutoParts and you will see a “ShopNow” button. Here you will be taken to the AdvanceAutoParts.com website in the app. All you do is just shop like normal. The first thing I do is login to my Advance Auto Parts account. This will load all my shopping cart items and vehicles. And really all you have to do is make the purchase. Rakuten will then track the purchase, usually within a few hours you will receive your credit of 5-10%. Seriously all you do is make the purchase and Rakuten will mail you a check of all the money you have saved up during the current 3 month period. 

The WebSite

To Save the same money on there website just log into your Rakuten account and search Advance Auto Parts and Click the “Shop Now” button. And, just like the app. Rakuten will track the order with Advance Auto Parts and ensure you get 5% to 10% of your order as a check. 

Step Four (+10%and up)

You know we have to make sure that we save every penny we can. This one is just making sure you don’t forget to use the saved up rewards. The Advance Auto Parts Loyalty Program will issue you 5$ certificates for every $50 you spend this works out to 10% on all your purchases. But just be sure not to let them expire!

Step Five (TIP! Maximize Your Savings!)

When using the 15%-25% off discount codes online. Remember that it has a $50 max savings per purchase. On large purchases you can save much more by making several smaller purchases.

Lets See How Much I Can Save On My Brakes For My Truck!

For our Example we are going to go over the savings of purchasing the brakes and rotors for my 2016 F-150. We won’t even include the FREE $10 that Rakuten gives you if your use my Referral Link. (It’s really just a free $10 after making your first purchase of $25+ theres nothing to lose seriously) Rakuten currently has a promo code you can reuse as many times as you want for 25% off most items on AdvanceAutoParts.com. So here we go!

Discounts I am using

• 25% off promo code
  • Rakuten has this code till August By using my link you get this code and $10
• 5% Cash Back on Rakuten
  • For Advance Auto Parts it has always been at least 5% and will sometimes be 10% 
  • Heres My Link
• 10% Speed Perks Rewards Program
  • This can be increased as you make more purchases
• 1.5% Cash Back 
  • I have tried several cards and I find my Capital One Quick Silver my favorite

Quick Over View of Totals

Pre Discount Total $597.00

Total Discounts & Rewards $221.57

Thats 37.1% Savings!

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When I tell people that McDonalds gives discounts, people usually find it surprising. These discounts are True and Super Easy to use. 

How To Get Them

McDonalds has an awesome app that let you pre order your items and use the tons of deals that they are running.

You Can Find the App Here IOS and ANDROID  

How To Use Discounts

When you download the app you will see all the discounts that are available on your account. When you select one, you will be given a 4 digit code that you can read to the cashier or that can be scanned. 

Side Note: Just know that you are only allowed to redeem one discount per 60 minutes. So don’t select the wrong one, I’ve done this a few times. Then you basically you can’t use the discount you wanted. 

A Few Screenshots

Awesome Deals That I Enjoyed

Here are some of my favorite deals McDonalds runs.

• • Buy 5 McCafé items and get one free.
    • I like usually get 5 regular or iced coffees and treat myself to a more expensive shake or frappe on the free one.
  • 20% off 10pc of 20 pc Chicken McNuggets (once per week)
    • This makes a 20pc McNuggets about $4.00
  • $0.99 Any size hot or iced coffee once per day. 
    • This is almost 1/2 off every day (just running for about a month)
  • $1.00 Large Fries (Once Per Day)

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