Check engine light came on, brake wear light came on

[Dranon]

My check engine light came on 2001 C4 cab 65k miles. I dont notice any problems, I change the oil every 5k. What could be wrong? I am turning the car in in 1 month, I would prefer NOT to spend any money on it if possible. The car has been probel free for all these miles. The brake wear light just came on on the dash also. How much brake do I have left? Can I turn it off some how and let the lease company/auction worry about it?

[Loren]

Go to Autozone and have them read the fault code for free.

There are a few hundred things that can cause a CEL - some are minor (like a loose gas cap) and will reset themselves - others are more serious.

If the light came on then one or more of the brake sensors is worn through. The fronts usually wear much faster than the rears since they do most of the braking. If you replace the brakes yourself it is likely less than $300 or about $180 for the fronts only. If you put too many more miles on the car after the sensor has come on you risk damaging the rotors and worst having a brake failure.

[viper501]

When my brake wear light came on it was intermittent at first. Once it came on and stayed on I had already ordered new pads and rotors. When I pulled the old pads, they still had quite a bit of use left in 'em. Not that I'd want to push them really hard or go zippin' through some mountain roads but certainly enough to have gone for groceries for a long time beyond what I did. That said, Loren is absolutely correct, you do run the risk of hosing your rotors or worse if you push things too far. Pad replacement is an *easy* DIY with fairly simple hand tools. If your car is a lease, I'd be surprised if they didn't ding you for the pads on turn in, although your contract will probably be the deciding factor there.