Idiot lights and the idiots that look at them.

Inspired by threads about auto problems scattered around the SDMB I come to ask and comment.

What is with all the people, male & female that will drive on after they see the oil pressure, over temp, other warning light come on?

Now cars that just have one check engine light that covers everything (an absolutely idiotic idea IMO) and has a history of crying wolf is somewhat mitigating but in general, why do they not stop and check?

What are we teaching the kids of today. What makes them think a lack of oil pressure is OK for 20 miles or so?

I am really cornfused by the idiots behind the wheels of today’s vehicles…

Personally, I prefer gauges.

I do drive with the Check Engine annunciator lit. In the Prius it seems to be a reminder for scheduled service. Same with a Porsche 924 I had once. In the Cherokee it lit when an O[sub]2[/sub] sensor failed, but there are other indicators for ‘fatal’ problems. So far (knock wood) I haven’t had one of those light up.

One day I was driving the MGB and smelled glycol. I also noticed liquid on the windscreen. I looked at the temperature gauge and saw it climbing rapidly. I shut down the engine and coasted to the side of the freeway before it hit the red zone. (An improperly-installed freeze plug had popped.)

About 40 years ago, my cousin got her first car. Her oil light came on. Did she take it to a garage or the dealer? Did she ask her dad, who is a very handy mechanic? Did she pull out the owner’s manual to see what the little light meant?

Nope. She turned her engine into an anchor. :rolleyes:

I certainly have driven around with the “check engine” light on. I hate that stupid thing with a passion. It usually means the gas cap isn’t on tight enough.

I thought this was going to be about the shift light from yesteryear…

You stated the problem in your OP, but people see not just the one light as meaningless but all of them. In my ’07 my freaking oil light comes on because it’s been 4200 miles since the last oil change, that’s useless. The other problem I’ve encountered is people having no clue what the car does, it’s like an appliance to them; plug it in, turn it on: put gas in, turn it on. Some don’t even know that below the plastic stuff is a metal thing with a cavity that stuff moves around in. I don’t mean just people my age, but people I work with that are in their 40s and 50s too. As long as the car keeps moving, why would a couple lights bother them?

Me. I don’t trust them. As mentioned, it might just mean scheduled service, or gas cap not tight.

In my case, my first experience was driving from Michigan down to Florida for spring break in college in a Toyota Corolla. When the light came on, it was the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere (What phone? Cell what? What what?). I noticed the mileage was a little over 60K miles, so all I could really do was hope it was for some “every 30K service”. As time and mileage went on, I just stopped worrying about it. Eventually, the “problem” resolved itself, shortly after 90K miles.

My engine light has been on forever. I know what it is. But have not got it fixed yet. Yes it is possible that there are two problems and I don’t know about the 2nd one but oh well. Cars are very durable and while they do break down I doubt my car is going to explode on the freeway. My rear tire is going to blow and my transmisson will fall out from under my car long before my “Check Engine” light causes a problem

My “service engine soon” light has been on for the last two weeks. I plan to solve the problem by putting some black tape over it.

They call them idiot lights for a reason. I ignored my check engine light for about three months, I just figured it was some pollution control device that was out of whack because the car ran fine.

One morning while trying to start the car something felt strange, kind of like a broken timing belt, allowing no compression. After taking it to the local mechanic and tried to start it he said the same thing.

Nope, the timing belt was fine, It turns out that the engine had been running way too rich due to a faulty O2 sensor. So instead of around 125.00 for a new sensor it costs me around 1700.00 counting rental costs. The head had to be removed and all of the valves had to be cleaned of the excess carbon buildup. There was no compression because the valves were stuck.

You can bet your ass I pay attention to those pretty lights now.

Gravitycrash,

Resident idiot checking in.

In my car there is a button below the dash to turn it off. If you still have your owner’s manual you should be able to find out where that button is.

You know, it is the Y2K9, why can’t I get a car with a little German woman in the dash? How much could it cost to get them to program the computer to say exactly what it is unhappy with?

Every time you start the car, the little German lady could tell you everything that is wrong with your car.

In general, if the warning light is red, one should stop driving as soon as practicable. This is the color used for low oil pressure (possible consequence, engine ruined requiring very expensive overhaul or replacement), overheating (possible consequence, significant engine damage requiring expensive repair), and low brake fluid (possible consequence, serious bodily injury or death).

If the warning light is amber, it’s generally not urgent if there are no other obvious drivability symptoms (i.e., the car has normal smoothness and power). However, it’s potentially serious and should be investigated as soon as is convenient. Also note that a flashing amber light indicates engine misfiring which could disable the catalytic converter, which can be an expensive repair.

False alarms are always possible, but it’s not wise to assume them.

The “brake” warning light, even though it’s red, is often not indicating an urgent problem. It’s common for the brake fluid to get low due to normal wear on the pads, and many cars use the same light to indicate the parking brake is on. But do check to make sure there’s not actually a leak or master cylinder failure.

Lights (amber/yellow) that say “check engine” or “service engine soon” or show a pictogram of an engine do cause a fair amount of confusion. (I’ll call this light the CEL.) The CEL is related to the onboard computer, and comes on when some circuit monitored by the computer is giving a reading outside the expected range. Typically this will relate to drivability (engine performance, ignition, fuel, etc.) or emission controls. It doesn’t literally mean the engine should be checked or serviced - it means the computer trouble code memory should be read to see what malfunction needs to be corrected. Said malfunction can range from the innocuous (loose gas cap) to the potentially serious (misfire, incorrect fuel ratio). To add to the ambiguity, some older cars used this same light as a maintenance reminder every X miles.

It is a shame that some people seem to be unaware of the importance of warning lights and gauges. Of course, sometimes it’s not a big deal when a light comes on or a gauge reading indicates trouble, but sometimes it is a big deal, possibly a very big deal that can disable the car and/or cost a lot of money to fix if the warning is ignored. The cost of ignorance can be high.

ETA: I’m not aware of any vehicle that relies on the CEL to indicate low oil pressure or overheating. There’s either a gauge or a red light for those items.

‘You vill check zee oil pressure now. It iss too low. OR! Your dipschtick iss too short, und is inadeqvate. You vill purchase a new vone. You must not do any driving viss a short dipschtick.’

In my state, you cannot get your yearly required safety and emissions inspection if the “Check Engine” light is on.

This why I would prefer a little Japanese lady, they never complain about a short dipstick.

They could record regional warnings:
Oi Vey, you know I’m not one to complain, but I’m all stuffed up. How about a new air filter for your poor hard working car?

A lot of the chain parts stores have the code scanners, and will plug up for free, to tell you which codes have been thrown. ('96 and up, I think)

I love my ‘70 F100. Gas mileage sucks, but if it breaks, I can fix it without Bill Gates’ help.

Same in my state.

Also note that the “Service Engine Soon” light and the “Check Engine” light are two different things (at least on my car). I think there’s been some confusion in this thread. The first indicates only that based on mileage, etc., it may be time for regular maintanance. The second indicates a problem has been detected by the computers.

Ed

Twice in the last four years the check engine light came on. Both times the “problem” was solved by restarting the car. shrug

Good post. But I wonder how much standardization there is on these lights across different car manufacturers? Does a flashing amber mean the same in a Saturn as in a Toyota?

Another poster said some parts stores will hook up your car to a computer for free to get the diagnostic codes. Which ones? I’ve always been annoyed that my dealer wants $35 just to get the codes, and not actually do anything about them.