Editorial policy

1. A code is a detection, not a diagnosis

We describe what a control module measured and why it flagged it. We never write that a code means a particular part has failed. Where a component is a likely cause, it is presented as a possibility to test — never as a conclusion.

2. No repair without a confirming test

Every repair we list is paired with the specific test result that would justify it. "Replace the oxygen sensor" is not guidance. "Replace the sensor if it fails to respond to a forced rich and lean condition" is.

3. No invented numbers

We do not publish probabilities, percentages or failure rates we cannot source. Causes are ordered by how often they are responsible in general, and we say that is what the ordering means. Cost ranges are given as ranges — wide enough to be honest — and labelled as US independent-shop estimates that vary by vehicle.

4. No vehicle-specific facts without a vehicle-specific source

Torque specifications, connector pinouts, sensor locations and resistance values differ between manufacturers and often between model years. Where a value is genuinely standard across OBD-II vehicles, we state it. Where it is not, we say it is vehicle-specific rather than inventing a number that sounds plausible.

5. Safety guidance is qualified, and errs toward caution

Driveability advice never contains an unconditional guarantee. For faults involving oil pressure, overheating, brakes, steering, restraints, fuel leaks, severe misfire or high-voltage systems, we state urgency clearly. Where a reviewer disagrees with an author about severity, the more cautious reading wins — under-warning is the more dangerous error.

6. No fabricated authority

We do not invent authors, certifications, review boards or company history, and we do not attach a stock photo and a made-up name to an article. If content has been reviewed by a credentialed technician we will name them. Until then we say it was written and reviewed in-house, because that is what happened.

7. Copyright is respected

We do not reproduce SAE or ISO standard text, OEM service manual content, copyrighted wiring or fuse diagrams, or competitor articles. Code identifiers are facts and are used freely; the explanations around them are written here.

8. Commercial content never changes diagnostic content

No advertiser or affiliate relationship influences what we say about a fault, a cause or a repair. If we ever recommend a product, the recommendation will be separable from the diagnosis, and disclosed. See our affiliate disclosure.

9. Unfinished work is marked as unfinished

Codes without reviewed content are labelled as such on the page and excluded from search indexing. We would rather show an honest gap than pad a page to look complete.

10. Corrections are published, not quietly patched

When we correct something substantive we change the page and update its review date. Seecorrections.