If the engine light is flashing or red
Ease off and pull over somewhere safe as soon as you can, then switch off. A flashing light can mean a misfire that's hurting the engine or exhaust. If you also see steam, smoke or smell burning, stay out of the car and away from traffic. If anyone's hurt or in danger, call 000.
What to do with a steady orange light
Notice how it's driving
If it feels normal, you can usually get to a mechanic soon, without panic. If it's down on power, stumbling or shaking, treat it like the flashing light above.
Check the fuel cap
On any car, a loose cap can bring the light on. Tighten it and watch for a few trips.
Note the details
Take a photo of the dash, and write down when it came on and what the car was doing.
Get the code read
The code points to the area of the fault. It doesn't prove which part has failed, so the mechanic still has to test it. See engine light on and car diagnostics for more.
Which Corsa have you got?
Holden Barina, 1994 to 2005. Holden launched the Corsa B here as the Barina in May 1994, and the Corsa C version ran until December 2005. Those are Corsas under a Holden badge. The Barina that replaced it was a rebadged Daewoo, not a Corsa.
Opel Corsa, 2012 to 2013. Opel returned here under its own name in September 2012 and announced it was leaving in August 2013. It sold 541 cars in 2012 and 989 in the first half of 2013, across three passenger models, so it's a rare car on Australian roads.
A private import. Some Corsas arrive other ways. Tell the mechanic what you know, since engine and parts can differ by market.
Who should work on an Opel now?
There's no Opel dealer network to go back to. When it left, Opel had 20 dealers, and Holden said all promises to owners on warranty, capped-price servicing and roadside would be met in full, with servicing at over 200 Holden dealerships.
Opel models were also badged as Holdens here until 2020, so a mechanic who's spent years on European-built Holdens may be a good fit. Opel itself is now part of Stellantis. Any warranty from those years has long gone, so what protects you now is the Australian Consumer Law: repairs must be done with due care and skill.
Tell us the job and the car, including whether it's badged Opel or Holden. A local mechanic who specialises in your car.
What you can do about the light
You can
- Check the fuel cap is tight.
- Check the oil level on a cold car, on flat ground.
- Photograph the dash, and note when the light appears.
Leave to the mechanic
- Reading the fault codes, then testing the part they point to.
- Ignition, fuel and sensor repairs.
- Clearing the code once the fault's fixed.
Where we'd start with an Opel
We wouldn't guess at parts from a code alone. We'd have a mechanic read it, test the suspect part and put the finding in a written estimate. We'd also ask how long parts will take and whether Holden-badged parts fit, because on a car this rare that shapes the whole job. If the light's flashing, none of that comes first: pull over.