Marc Favreau

The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph's College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY

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Kia back up entry update includes a new entry method

Kia LogoKia back up entry update

We have a new Kia back up entry update and, very much like we stated for Hyundai, the new processes make us wish they’d make up their minds. Back up entry processes are necessary for those moments when the key fob’s battery dies, which happens all too often. There is a brand new way to expose the key hole on the new EV9 and, again like parent Hyundai, the company has a new mechanical key that is separate from the key fob. Kia also has new digital — smart phone — access options.

G90 key hole coverThe EV9 uses a one-piece handle, but a piece still needs to be removed to get a shot at the key hole. To do so, the door handle needs to be held open. Then the small somewhat flimsy cover needs to be removed (right). We used a finger nail in the video we did of the process, but the mechanical key may work better. Check out the video here.

We’ll say again, and keep saying it, that we really dislike the idea of mechanical keys not being integrated into the fob. The mechanical keys can easily be lost or simply left behind, and digital options on the smart phone have proven to be less than 100% effective and requires the start battery to be charged. A mechanical key is always 100% effective!

Smart Keys or Intelligent Keys, or Access Keys – or whatever the manufacturer of your chooses to call them – that let you into your car and start it with just a touch use up their internal batteries at alarming rates, catching busy drivers unawares – even though the car had tried to warn you.

Our goal is to help you feel safe – and keep you moving or get you moving if at all possible – rather than leave you fretting whenever your key fob stops working. The instructions for getting into and starting most keyless start cars can be found on our pages – without roadside assistance.

You can see the back entry page here. BTW, the page has become so unwieldy we intend to separate the three manufacturers. Soon.

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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.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/09/kia-back-up-entry-update-includes-a-new-entry-method/

Latest entry to our Acronym Page

Acronym Page Update

We added a new entry to our acronym page: Downhill Brake Control (DBC).

Sometimes, a symbol or indicator seen on an instrument panel and hosted here on the site is in the form of a three or four letter Acronym or Abbreviation, as with the example. Auto manufacturers assume that any given driver knows exactly what these acronyms stand for.

Grade assist 2In this case, DBC, the symbol used does not feature the acronym at all. Its shown to the right, and is a Low Speed or Crawl Control indicator that Genesis has opted to call Downhill Brake Control. Another example of a manufacturer renaming a technology for no really good reason.

So when we set up DashboardSymbols.com, one of the very first things we did was add a page of acronyms and the translations as a useful resource for drivers. Further, if the acronym is hosted as a separate entry, we provide a link to it, as we did in this case.

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.

The acronym page currently hosts some 230 acronyms, including now DBC. The page 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.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/09/latest-entry-to-our-acronym-page/

Our Genesis dashboard symbols update adds 11 indicators, but none new

Genesis LogoGenesis dashboard symbols update

In the vast majority of cases, a symbols update involves literally making a half dozen brand new indicators. However, our Genesis dashboard symbols update was a simple matter of adding 11 pre-existing indicators to the table.

This is primarily because the new technology introduced in Genesis this year has also been added to the Hyundai line — and we made those images a few weeks ago!

The major addition is Lane Following Assistance (LFA) which helps detect lane markings and/or a vehicle ahead on the road, and helps center the vehicle in the lane. It is essentially a light duty self driving system that is a step above lane keeping and behind hands free driving. In fact, the driver gets a hands-off warning and if he or she still does not have their hands on the steering wheel lane following assist is automatically canceled.

Lane following assist in whiteLane following assist in grayLane following assist greenIn use, if the vehicle ahead and/or both lane markings are detected and the vehicle speed is below 120 mph (200 km/h), the green indicator light is seen. Gray indicates that the lane markings are not detected or the vehicle is above speed. It appears in white when the system is cancelled.

The owners manual goes on for several pages describing how to set up and use the system. As with Hyundai, we wonder if anyone will bother…

Grade assist 2Attention alertOthers added include a Driver Attention system, which monitors a driver’s eyes for signs of sleepiness, and Grade Assist, which helps keep a vehicle under control while going downhill. But these and others used pre-existing symbols.

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.

You can see them and the other 80+ symbols on our Genesis symbols page 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.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/09/our-genesis-dashboard-symbols-update-adds-11-indicators-but-none-new/

New video dropped on our YouTube channel: Open and Start a Kia EV9 with a dead key fob battery

Kia LogoOpen and Start a Kia EV9

We have added a video to our YouTube channel demonstrating how to open and start a Kia EV9 with a dead key fob battery. The model offers a new and unique key hole cover to overcome (below right).

G90 key hole coverThe door handle needs to be help all the way open while removing the cover. The mechanical key is supposed to be used to do this but we used a finger nail and feel like the cover could be damaged by the key.

And that mechanical key is supplied as a separate part! This is a disturbing trend among manufacturers offering digital options. Read smart phone. However, we have seen software issues that could leave a driver stranded. That separate mechanical key is way too easily lost!

Smart Keys or Intelligent Keys, or Access Keys – or whatever the manufacturer of your chooses to call them – that let you into your car and start it with just a touch use up their internal batteries at alarming rates, catching busy drivers unawares – even though the car had tried to warn you.

Our goal is to help you feel safe – and keep you moving or get you moving if at all possible – rather than leave you fretting whenever your key fob stops working. The instructions for getting into and starting most keyless start cars can be found on our pages – without roadside assistance.

You can see the new video on our YouTube channel here, or on our Kia page, which now has 17 videos, including those for Hyundai and Genesis begging to be separated, 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.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/09/new-video-dropped-on-our-youtube-channel-open-and-start-a-kia-ev9-with-a-dead-key-fob-battery/

Video page overhaul nearly complete

Video ThumbnailVideo page overhaul

We just completed a major video pages overhaul that results in the removal of one page and an attempt at a table of contents (TOC) that made a mess of the whole remaining page.

We did find a TOC generator plug-in that we will attempt to use on another day.

The move is the first step intended at simplifying the site. With so many videos from so many manufacturers and over 1,000 symbols and indicators, the site has become quite unwieldy and likely difficult to navigate for the average user. We hope over time to make the site far more user friendly.

The video page consists of links to some 200+ videos intended to help drivers overcome issues created by dead key fob batteries, including getting into and starting the car and replacing the battery in the fob.

Smart Keys or Intelligent Keys, or Access Keys – or whatever the manufacturer of your chooses to call them – that let you into your car and start it with just a touch use up their internal batteries at alarming rates, catching busy drivers unawares – even though the car had tried to warn you.

Our goal is to help you feel safe – and keep you moving or get you moving if at all possible – rather than leave you fretting whenever your key fob stops working. The instructions for getting into and starting most keyless start cars can be found on our pages – without roadside assistance.

You can see the overhauled video page here. Watch for a TOC in the near future!

——————————————————————-

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.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/09/video-page-overhaul-nearly-complete/

Why the alarm sounds when you unlock a keyless start car with its mechanical key!

Dead fob iconUnlock a Keyless Start Car

For reasons we could not initially fathom, when we would unlock a keyless start car with its own mechanical key would set off the alarm. We have some 150 videos on our YouTube channel that attest to this. Ultimately we would warn that the alarm may go off, we’ve come to realize that we do this too late in the videos, leaving drivers “alarmed” themselves!

We wondered why for years and realized why some year later but did not share that information with you.

We’ll correct that here and begin a broader correction on YouTube. So here we go…

The reason the alarm sounds is that the physical key is and remains too easily copy. When they were first introduced, a clay mold would have been needed but, since the introduction of 3D printing, all that is needed is an electronic scan of a key and an unscrupulous person could get inside and steal anything valuable.

The alarm turns off when the fob is recognized while using the back up start method. The car then knows that the mechanical key is not a copy. Only the presence of the electronics in the fob guarantees that the use of the mechanical key is done so by the owner of the vehicle itself.

Setting off the alarm is disconcerting at best and suggests we should have been more judicious in our videos when passing along the possibility of the alarm sounding. Meaning we should warn our viewers of the possibility at the start of each video!

We are considered re-doing every video in our collection, but won’t. It would actually hurt the channel, as each video’s views would be lost. What we will do is offer a warning in each write-up and hopefully help avoid scaring the living daylights out of you…

Smart Keys or Intelligent Keys, or Access Keys – or whatever the manufacturer of your chooses to call them – that let you into your car and start it with just a touch use up their internal batteries at alarming rates, catching busy drivers unawares – even though the car had tried to warn you.

Our goal is to help you feel safe – and keep you moving or get you moving if at all possible – rather than leave you fretting whenever your key fob stops working. The instructions for getting into and starting most keyless start cars can be found on our pages – without roadside assistance.

Our YouTube channel is here and our video page is here.

——————————————————————-

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.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/09/why-the-alarm-sounds-when-you-unlock-a-keyless-start-car-with-its-mechanical-key/

A brand new tech shows up in the Hyundai dashboard symbols update

Hyundai logoHyundai dashboard symbols update

FCEV, ESC, ISLA, N launch — these are all bits and pieces of the 11 new entries from our latest Hyundai dashboard symbols update. However, another stands out as a brand new self-driving technology.

First, we’ll explain the other additions already noted. FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) is an acronym now added to HEV (Hydrogen EV), both describing Hyundai‘s use of fuel cells. A new one was not needed.

ESC, or Electronic Stability Control is another way to say VSC or Vehicle Stability Control. Happily, Hyundai only uses the one.

ISLA is Intelligent Speed Limit Assist, an existing tech that Hyundai has just adopted.

N Launch belongs to Hyundai‘s N-line of Ionic EVs, which gives the cars a kick from a dead start. It sounds like fun — if you’re on a race track! But Lane Following Assist (LFA) is the one we want to highlight.

Lane following assist greenLane following assist in grayLane following assist in whiteLane Following

LFA is a system helps detect lane markings and/or a vehicle ahead on the road, and helps center the vehicle in the lane. It is essentially a light duty self driving system that is a step above lane keeping and behind hands free driving. In fact, the driver gets a hands-off warning and if he or she still does not have their hands on the steering wheel lane following assist is automatically canceled.

In use, if the vehicle ahead and/or both lane markings are detected and the vehicle speed is below 120 mph (200 km/h), the green indicator light is seen. Gray indicates that the lane markings are not detected or the vehicle is above speed. It appears in white when the system is cancelled.

The Hyundai owners manual goes on for several pages describing how to set up and use the system. We wonder if anyone will bother…

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.

You can see it and the other 80+ symbols on our Hyundai symbols page here.

——————————————————————-

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.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/09/a-brand-new-tech-shows-up-in-the-hyundai-dashboard-symbols-update/