My engine light comes on, there is a loss of power - whatever speed I am going at that time is all I can get out of my 2002 Civic. When I come to a stop, the car stalls. Once I restart it, power is restored. The first time it did this (last week), the engine light eventually went off after a few more stops. The problem has now reoccured on three other occasions and restarting the car is all it takes to restore the power.

So far, I haven't taken it to the mechanic because I have read reports of repairs done, as per code indications, without remedy.

Any clues?

 

I sometimes take my car to the dealership because if they tell me that a certain component is faulty, they guarantee that replacing it will fix the problem. Some small shops try to make your car the guinea pig by charging you for parts that were not needed. Not all shops are like this, but I always keep in mind that chances are better that a Honda-specific tech is more likely to have seen the problem than would a guy who works on 10 different types of cars.
That being said, I must also mention that having a code reader is a necessity if you plan to repair your car over a span of many years. Without this instrument, you may spend more than you have to by replacing things unnecessarily.