Check Engine Light came on after car wash?

**bengtc** · 03-14-2009 09:53 AM

My check engine light came on after I took it through the car wash. There are no leaks or nothing weird sounding from the engine. Does anyone have any ideas what it could be?? Thanks!

**B6JoeS4** · 03-14-2009 10:04 AM

you could have gotten some water on your maf. that will cause a cel. try scanning for codes

**pyrobecks** · 03-14-2009 10:19 AM

Did you by chance fill your car up with gas before the car wash? I had a CEL when I didn't close the fuel door (or was it cap) tight enough?

**snackbarber** · 03-14-2009 10:22 AM

Did you use the pressure washer to clean the engine bay? That seems to be a bad idea on these cars. There are numerous posts where detailers/dealers/owners have cleaned the engine bay only to find that the coil packs got wet and started to fail. If you are under warranty I would just take it to the dealer and have them sort it out. If not get yourself a vagcom cable(or meet up with someone who already has one).

**wayneB7** · 03-14-2009 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by bengtc

My check engine light came on after I took it through the car wash. There are no leaks or nothing weird sounding from the engine. Does anyone have any ideas what it could be?? Thanks!

Sounds like you might have had an underbody wash, did you?

Something electrical might have got wet, and while I have no way of knowing what it is, I am sure interested in knowing what the culprit actually turned out to be, since I occasionally go through a car wash with underbody spray.

Good luck.

**JamezHill** · 03-14-2009 12:17 PM

THis happened to my Durango. I thought it was from the undercarraige section. I know it's a different car/truck all together, but I let everything dry, reset the battery and it never came on again (the rest of the POS truck fell apart though).

**FastB7S4** · 03-14-2009 12:39 PM

i've had coil pack failures after a car wash and then during rainy, foggy weather. the older model coilpacks (black top) were prone to failure due to a faulty seal that allowed moisture to get in and cause them to fail.

not sure what your issue could be since you say the engine sounds normal. you'd know if it was a coilpack. engine would run rough and sputter along with a definitel loss of power.

**bengtc** · 03-14-2009 01:32 PM

Thanks for all the replies! I had the car inspected about a week ago and there were no problems and I took it through a touchless auto car wash yesterday. I t had the undercarriage cleaned by the car wash. How do I reset the battery maybe that will clear the light?