Got the car wash blues

Car wash

So I took the Kia EV for its second car wash since becoming its owner and ended up stuck with the Park Brake warning light on. So the question is why?

I slid into the car wash’s track and placed the car in neutral, as one should. But, I had forgotten that I had activated the Brake Hold system when I’d left home. So, the brake was on when the car wash mechanism attempted to move the car forward.

I deactivated Brake Hold (right), but was left with the warning light (far right), obscured by the steering wheel. I slipped the car into drive for a moment and back to neutral, which resolved the problem.

I ran through some scenarios after the wash, but without the car wash. I drove forward with Brake Hold on, stopped, which activated the hold, slipped into neutral, turned off Brake Hold, and got the message that I needed to step on the brake to deactivate the Hold.

This is what I missed at the car wash, and evidently the mechanism that slid under the wheel attempting to move the car forward set off the warning light.

Cars are changing, and among those changes is the growing number of symbols and indicators that will invariably show up on your dashboard or instrument panel. Every year, new features are added to vehicles, each of which is accompanied by a new symbol or symbols and likely a new acronym.

At DashboardSymbols.com, our aim is to help you understand what is happening to your vehicle at the first sign of trouble – a new warning light illuminated on your instrument panel. Its all here on this website. Our first intention is to bring the latest technologies down to earth and understandable for everyday drivers.

I have added this notation to the Brake Hold page, which is here, and the Park Brake page, which is here.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.