Wooden Boat Festival and Throwing A Code

Had a great time at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival this weekend - and a wee bit of rain after almost 70+ days without. You know you've become a Pacific Northwesterner when you look forward to rain ... "Throwing a code" is when the 'check engine' light comes on in a modern, electronically-governed vehicle. The FIAT did it to me for (my) first time at 26,000 miles, coming back from Port Townsend. Very worrisome, pulled off the road pondering what to do - it felt no different, no overheating, no bad sounds. I had read that often the culprit is - very simply - the fuel cap. if it doesn't get put on correctly after filling the tank, or if the little hole in the cap that provides input to the emissions sensor (one of many) get's blocked or gets a slosh of fuel that interrupts the reading of gasoline vapor ... it's enough to trigger a 'check engine' light - it throws a code. The mischief is that you don't know WHAT that code is, or who serious. Yet the car itself knows which code it is - as I found out after stopping by my local auto parts store to buy a code scanner. This store offers to rent you one at no cost (they hold your driver license) and you can scan the car yourself - which I did. No code. So it had cleared itself ... but didn't clear the 'check engine' light. The Bosch scan tool they provided did allow for clearing the light - so we're all good again. I'm sure it won't be the last, as described in the following entertaining FIAT Abarth review:    • Review | 2016 Fiat 500 Abarth | Disgruntle...   Just part of the FIAT ownership experience, but people love their cars enough they're willing to put up with it. Over the last 1,200 miles I'm averaging 35.5 miles per gallon, including much errand/city driving and rocketing about for fun - I love the car! My 'winter motorcycle'. Here's a vid of the manufacturing of it in Toluca (MX):    • Video   Jay Leno is a fan:    • 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth - Jay Leno's Garage