About ExplainMyCar
A reference site for people trying to understand what their car is telling them.
What this is
A car's control modules watch hundreds of measurements. When one falls outside its expected range, a module stores a trouble code and, usually, turns on a warning light. That code is a precise piece of information — and almost every explanation of it available online is either too technical to help a driver, or so vague that it just recommends buying a part.
ExplainMyCar sits between those. Every code page tells you what the computer actually measured, how serious it is, what to check first — the cheapest and most likely things before the expensive ones — and which repairs are worth considering only after a specific test confirms them.
Who it is for
Someone standing in a parking lot with a cheap scanner and a check engine light, who wants to know whether they can drive home. And the technician who wants to confirm the diagnostic order for a code they see twice a year. The same page serves both: the plain answer sits at the top, the procedure sits below it, and neither is hidden behind a tab.
What it is not
It is not a substitute for a qualified technician inspecting the vehicle. It cannot see your car, and no reference site can tell you which part failed. It is a way to arrive at a repair shop understanding the conversation — or to rule out the cheap causes before paying for diagnosis.
How it is funded
Nothing here is behind a login or a paywall, and there is no account to create. In future we expect to carry display advertising and some automotive affiliate links. When we do, both will be disclosed, and neither will influence what our diagnostic content says. See ouraffiliate disclosure.
How it is built
See how ExplainMyCar works for where the data comes from, how content is reviewed, and what we deliberately refuse to claim. Thedata sources page lists every source with its licence.
Contact
Corrections are the most useful thing you can send us — see corrections. For anything else, get in touch.