Car warning lights are a drivers worst nightmare, especially if it’s a flashy unusual shape that you’ve never seen before – what on earth could that be? Many of us aren’t well versed in the secret language of car dashboard warning lights, but that doesn’t mean they can be ignored.
Jake Groves, Auto Express, reports:
A car dashboard wouldn’t be complete without a huge number of warning lights, symbols and icons scattered across it. Some warn us of dangerous faults or potential damage, while others are merely let us know that we’ve left our lights on or that the parking sensors are active. But do you know which is which?
The number of multi-coloured lights and icons on new car dashboards has reached Christmas tree proportions in recent times. As cars are filled with more and more gadgets and electronic assistance features, many of the more recent additions to the array of icons and warning symbols might be a little unfamiliar to the uninitiated. Any uncertainty can quickly be resolved by a glance through the car owner’s manual but there is still a tendency to ignore warning lights we’re unsure of in the hope that they’ll just go away.
That isn’t really good enough. As drivers, we should at least know the basic dashboard warning lights from the moment we pass our driving test. If they are ignored, they could mean serious damage to your car or even danger to you and your passengers.
Knowing your car, and what warning lights mean, should definitely be a top priority when driving, especially if it’s a new car that you’re unfamiliar with. Often, knowing what each warning light means and taking it straight to a garage can solve the issue with a lot less time and money than if it was to be ignored for a longer period of time. Therefore, there’s a lot to be said for gaining a thorough understanding of ‘what means what’.
