Your car should be like mine if it really is a CA car. There is a small black box on the firewall near the battery. It has a small red LED, with a small button next to it. Hold down the button for 2-4 seconds, then count how many times the LED blinks. That is your code.

To turn the CEL off, just hold down the button for about 8 seconds. That sometimes doesn't work for me, and I have to disconnect the battery for a few minutes, then the CEL will turn off.

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Current cars:
2000 ML55 AMG, 174k miles
2003 C240 T-Modell, 202k miles
1995 S320, 207k Miles