Volkswagen: my vw beetle, new beetles, obd ii

Question
hallo there,i have a reacurring problem,driving me crazy,its the check engine light,keeps coming back on,i have had new exhaust last week front end with cat fitted also,is it related to the emissions ?the car still drives great no probs or loss of power etc? would really appreciate your expertise help on this many thanks bev ..

Answer
Bev,  There are a quite a few things which can cause the check engine light.  However, given the recent exhaust repair, it is likely one of the (two) O2 sensors, there is one before and one after the catalytic converter.  You can check them for proper connection, but that's about it.  Because all modern cars have a standard computer communications protocol, the best method to track down the problem is to scan the car with an OBD(On-Board Diagnostic) tester to obtain the DTC(s)(Diagnostic Test Codes) from the car's computer.  All New Beetles will have OBD capability.  Any good repair shop will have one, it only takes a few minutes, but they usually charge you handsomely for this relatively easy service.  However, since you just had it in the shop, I would think they are obligated to at least do a scan and tell you what the error codes say for free.
 I you so choose, you can DIY.  Just buy an OBD-II tester starting at about $75 US (check out http://www.actron.com as one example; also eBay.)  Even with a cheap unit that only gives you the number codes, you can then look them up to see what they mean, on the web: http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes  You can find the location of the OBD port at http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/cars/applications/beetlecabrio.html  With this capability and knowledge you'll have a much better chance of fixing any problem yourself, or at least not getting BS'd by unscrupulous repair shops and potentially saving yourself lots of $$$.
- Rick