Noticing dashboard lights can help you to keep the vehicle operating efficiently and safely. These are also known as warning lights. If you notice that a light is on, make sure to contact us and schedule an appointment so we can inspect it for you. If the light starts to blink, you should pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so and turn your vehicle off. Depending what the light or issue is, it may be safer towing the vehicle home, to avoid any damage to the vehicle or safety of others.

 

dashboard lights

An ABS light indicates the Automatic Braking System has a fault, making skidding under braking more likely. Make sure to adjust your driving and be aware of your brakes if this light comes on. It could mean the brakes are poor and you will want to allow proper time to stop your vehicle so you don’t have an accident.

Power steering light

Practically all modern cars use power steering, and if this fails the steering will become extremely heavy, so that it’s difficult or impossible to control the car safely. You may be able to maneuver it to a safe position at low speeds, with effort, but it will be dangerous to drive at normal speeds. If the power steering light comes on, drive it to a safe spot and call us so we can discuss a safe way to bring the vehicle in.

Oil warning light

On some cars the oil light may glow amber to indicate a low oil level, but generally this is a red warning lamp indicating a serious loss of oil pressure. This could be due to insufficient oil or a more serious mechanical failure. If you keep driving, the engine is likely to fail completely, suffering serious damage in the process.

Coolant light on the dashboard

The coolant light indicates that there’s too little engine coolant or that it’s exceeded its maximum temperature. If you carry on driving, the engine will overheat, its performance will suffer and it may stop entirely, quite possibly with serious damage. Make sure to schedule an appointment with us so we can inspect the source of the issue for you.