Category: Articles & Commentaries

Discussions on topics of interest to drivers concerning things they may not understand about their vehicles as well as articles on the future of the auto industry.

We just dropped a new Mercedes Benz video

Mercedes_logoMercedes Benz video

We just added a new Mercedes Benz video to our YouTube channel. It is specifically for 2019 and newer GLE and GLS SUVs as well as 2024 and newer G-Class SUVs with a dead key fob battery and in many cases a hidden key hole.

These models are the first to use a back up location in the center console storage area. Prior to this, the location was somewhere at the front of the center console.

We’ve added the video to our Mercedes Benz video page, which now features nine videos. You can find them all here at this link. The new video can be seen here.

Remember to replace the batteries in your key fobs at the first moment you see a warning on your instrument panel!

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.

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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Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow.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/2024/08/we-just-dropped-a-new-mercedes-benz-video/

Fisker Customers Get the Pages They Need

Fisker logoHelp for Fisker Customers

A good 10 years ago, we put up a dead key fob page for Fisker Karma buyers. The Karma not so famously featured a key hole on the passenger door!

The car and the company went nowhere, so we took the page down a few years later.

Well, the company resurrected itself and released the Ocean, a full electric SUV. Problems with the car and problems with sales led to a shocking sell-off of the cars Fisker Oceanat bargain basement prices and a company close to dissolution. From here it sure looks like its customers are soon to be abandoned, if they haven’t already been.

Well, we decided to give them at least a little help, returning the dead fob page while adding the back up process to the Ocean, and a symbols page.

Since the Karma is an electric like the Chevrolet Volt is an electric — that is with a gas engine to charge the battery on long trips — the page includes warning lights like a check engine light, an oil pressure light and engine overheat light. They don’t seem to fit, but actually do.

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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/2024/08/fisker-customers-get-the-pages-they-need/

New Honda and Acura EVs Require New Dashboard Symbols for a Very Surprising Reason

Honda logoNew Dashboard Symbols

The introduction of the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX electric vehicles in 2024 required us to add several new dashboard symbols to the manufacturer’s respective pages. Well, actually, new old symbols.

This is because we already had the symbols in play — on pages for General Motors GM logo(GM) models!

What’s happened is that Honda and GM jointly developed the EVs, a collaboration that began in 2013, which was focused on hydrogen fuel. That shifted as EVs rose to prominence and in essence, GM‘s drivetrain and control systems won out. And the proof is in the owner’s manuals!

The cover pages of the Honda and Acura models are properly identified. Then comes page one…

Tables of Contents

Below in order are the table of contents for a Chevrolet Malibu (left) and the Honda Pilot (right). And then below left is the TOC for the Honda Prologue.

Chevrolet Malibu TOCThey’re difficult to read here, but the styles are clear, which is the point. The contents of the Prologue and ZDX manuals follow the GM style of presentation to the letter right on through the entire manual! Every other Honda or Acura manual for 15 years+ has a TOC and structure just like the Pilot.

Honda Pilot TOCAnd the result is the addition of at least a dozen new (at least to Honda!) symbols and telltales that fall right out of the GM playbook.

The majority of the additions are of course related to the fact that the vehicles are fully electric. So all of the resulting indicators and warnings related  to the high voltage system are found.

Honda Proloque TOCBut beyond this, many of the driver support system indicators, like lane keeping and pedestrian avoidance are in the GM style.

Remember that auto manufacturers are given great leeway in the way they present warning symbols and indicators. Only a few are identical from one manufacturer to another. Most of the time symbols end up looking similar but differ enough for us to address here on this site. Hence the fact that we host over 1,000 of them 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.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/08/new-honda-and-acura-evs-require-new-dashboard-symbols-for-a-very-surprising-reason/

2024 Buick Dashboard Symbols Update Comes with a Shock

Buick logoBuick Dashboard Symbols

We just finished updating our Buick Dashboard Symbols page, or at least we tried.

Generally, updating a manufacturer’s symbols page results in the addition of at least a half a dozen new symbols. This site now hosts over 1,000 symbols and telltales found on instrument panels.

In this case, and despite the introduction of a new model in 2024, the company is not using any new symbols! This is quite literally a first.

It also means that Buick models are not using any new systems in their vehicles. We are likely to get piled on in 2025!

Locked Out?

Envista door handleThat new model, the Envista, however, does introduce a new door handle with a new way to hide the key hole (right). You can find out how to get inside if the battery in the key fob dies here at this link.

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.

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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/2024/08/2024-buick-dashboard-symbols-update-brings-a-surprise/

Reflections on Whether to Lease or Not to Lease Your New Car

To Lease or Not to Lease

I am two months away from turning in my leased Polestar 2 and I have been reflecting on leasing. Hopefully the return process won’t mar this post.

Note that this was my first experience with a lease. And note that it turned out that I was both right and wrong to have leased.

Polestar 2What I Got Right

I was right in that I got three years behind the wheel of a new EV at a far better monthly price than if it had been purchased.

Second, I had had a sneaky suspicion that, in a relatively new market, resale values might be an issue a few years down the road. I got this right as well. The residual value of the Polestar is well above current asking prices for equivalent used models. This is currently true across the used EV market, and as I had suspected, there is a reasonably strong supply of good used EVs available for purchase at reasonable prices.

What I Got Wrong

I missed on two counts. First of all, I seriously overestimated how many miles I would put on the car, which means I paid more than I needed to for the lease. There will be no refund…

The second wrong, if you will, has to do with psychology. I have come to understand that I am poorly suited to leasing. This is to say that I never felt fully comfortable with driving what is essentially someone else’s car! I initially thought that my discomfort surrounded the idea of it being new car — also a first for me. But the discomfort never completely went away. I eventually concluded it was about it not truly being mine.

So if you’re considering a lease, its always been true that a lease is more affordable on a monthly basis. Of course, when you’re done, you’ll need new wheels.

But ask yourself whether you are truly suited to being a lessor. I’m unlikely to do it again. If you decide a lease is right for you, do some math on mileage expectations as well.

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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/2024/07/reflections-on-whether-to-lease-or-not-to-lease-your-new-car/

EV Charging Etiquette

Charging EVs While Being Considerate

We’re not the only ones to speak on this, but we’ve seen too many electric vehicles (EVs) sitting at Level 3 fast charge stations either done charging and blocking a station or charging above 80%, meaning very, very slowly. So it we will add our voice to the chorus of EV charging etiquette posts, and we’ll take that last one first.

1) Stop charging at 80%

We’ve seen more confusion about this than anything else related to Level 3 charging, and it all comes down to charge curves. Regardless of how fast an EV charges, each and every one of them slows down dramatically at 80% charge (see the image below from P3). So whatever time it takes to get to 80%, it will take up to three times that time to get to 100%. This is the least efficient way to charge on long trips. You can get half way to the next charge station in the time wasted getting to 100%!

The result is a charger that is not available to another driver, a waste of your time, and its really hard on the battery. Meaning it will shorten its life!

We understand the desire to “fill the tank” angst associated with leaving a battery 20% empty. But trust us when we say that the angst will pass with time and you’ll get along just fine at 80% and less.

2) Use the proper plug

This is essentially for non-Tesla owners. Your car determines the rate at which electricity is transferred to the battery. So parking a Chevy Bolt, which charges at 50 kW, at 350 kW charger does a huge disservice to owners of vehicles that can make use of the faster charger. Your car will not charge any faster than its rated speed, regardless of what charger you’ve plugged into.

Please leave the faster chargers for vehicles that can use them.

3) Move your EV when its done charging, not when you’re done shopping!

This is a primarily time awareness issue, and of course moving your car is again about opening a charge spot for another driver. Most EV’s get to 80% charge in 20 to 30 minutes and your owner’s manual will give you a solid heads up. Also, your car’s app may be able to tell you when charging is finished or close to finished.

So if you’ve wandered off to lunch or shopping, for the sake of everyone else, please come back to your car on time to open a slot for someone else.

4) Know your vehicle’s charge port location

Nearly all gasoline fill locations on on one side or the other in the rear of the vehicle. EVs can charge from similar locations but some are in the front! In any case, knowing which par of the car that needs to be closest to the charge cable will save some embarrassment.

Of course, all Tesla models charge from the left rear.

5) Don’t leave trash behind

One would think all EV drivers are environmentally conscious, but this turns out not to be the case. And unfortunately, charge stations don’t have trash receptacles around, since no attendant is needed! So, if you generate some trash, please be prepared to take it away with you.

6) Never unplug someone else’s vehicle

Unless its an absolute emergency, never, ever touch another driver’s car. You wouldn’t want someone to do that to you (unless you left a note allowing it!) so don’t ever do it to someone else.

7) Level 2 charger time limits

Finally, if you happen upon a slower Level 2 public charger, be aware of any posted time limits. You won’t get as much charge, but others may want a little boost too. Leave when its your time to leave.

In all cases, be considerate of other EV drivers!

P3-Charging_Index

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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/2024/04/ev-charging-etiquette/

2024 New York International Auto Show Reflections

Who Showed, Who Didn’t

The 2024 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) was notable as much for who still didn’t show up as for what we found on the show floor.

Since the pandemic shut down the show for two years, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have yet to reappear. And while Mazda and Mitsubishi made appearances in ’22 and ’23, there were a no show this year. And from Fiat Chrysler — or Stellantis — only Jeep showed up with its outdoor test climb.

The value of industry trade shows was questioned in the wake of the pandemic. They are expensive to put on, requiring the movement of large numbers of people and vehicles and booth materials. There’s no EV trackevidence of Mercedes and BMW suffering from ignoring this and other trade shows.

Further evidence of a cut back in show attendance were the tiny booths set up by both Volvo and Audi. Barely room for a few car. For the second year in row, Hyundai took advantage of available floor space to make its own test track. The EV track (right) remained on the first level.

EVs in the Limelight

ID BuzzPolestar 4Elsewhere, EVs remain a focus of the show, clearly an attempt to acquaint the buying public with the shift to electric driving. Volkswagen’s ID Buzz (left) made and appearance. Polestar was at the show for the first time and brought its 2, 3, and 4 models. The Polestar 4 (right) won’t be available to order for another few months with deliveries expected in 2025.

Acura ZDXPorsche line upPorsche featured all four of its available electric line: the Tacan, Macan, Cayenne and Panamera (left), all open and available to crawl through. As always with Porsche, the styling is impeccable.

Acura brought its first EV, the ZDX (right), but kept it locked tight. Seems a bit short sighted if you’re hoping to generate interest.

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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/2024/03/2024-new-york-international-auto-show-reflections/