A New Image Please!
We are going to have a little fun here, pretty much at my expense.
We have long railed about the images chosen for warning lights. They are intended to be easily interpreted by the average driver, but nearly across the board are a total fail. Follow along to see why!
For instance, the check engine light uses the image of an engine configuration that is rarely if ever seen anymore. A belt driven fan on the front and an air cleaner on the top.
An entire generation of drivers have never seen an engine like this, but they are supposed to understand and recognize the check engine light as an engine problem.
The oil light uses an image of an oil can that hasn’t been seen in 50 years. We went looking for images of this style oil can and found one — literally old and rusted. Drivers interpret warning lights through the filters of their own experience, and this one is more easily associated with a Aladdin’s lamp. Thank the movies and tv.
And then there’s the tire pressure warning or TPMS light. Again, it is meant to be easily recognized and understood, but its a slice of a tire! Who’s ever seen a slice of tire? Using their own experience, drivers calling service departments I’ve worked in have called this an exclamation point in parenthesis or brackets, an exclamation point in a horseshoe, flames – destined to be a classic! Remember, the light is a yellow amber color.
A wishbone, an exclamation point in a fish bowl. That even accounts for the lip. An exclamation point in a cup, And finally, my personal favorite, a candle in a glass!
Not a single caller ever described the light as an exclamation point in a slice of a tire.
So here’s the fun part. I paid a visit to a local Audi car dealer recently, and well here it is.
An Actual Slice of a Tire!
An Actual Slice of a Tire!I flipped it over to take the picture to be sure the tread was visible, because it wasn’t sitting the other way around on the shelf.
The dealer the piece to be able to point out reinforcement in the tread near the edges for cornering, certainly something Audi prides itself on. And they have a list of manufacturers who make sure their tires can be recommended by the company.
So, now we’ve seen a slice of tire and so too any number of customers getting service at this particular store. But having seen this, the warning light does not immediately become recognizable. Note the low profile nature of the tire that was sliced. This type of profile is seen on damn near everything today, again adding to the obsolescence of the warning light.
So we get to keep our reasoning. The typical warning light simply doesn’t reflect not only the real life experiences of drivers, they don’t even reflect the reality of today’s cars!
The upshot is this experience allows us to repeat a call to the industry to let the car talk to the driver. Its time for plain language explanations for what is wrong and should or needs to be done. Period.
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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.
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
The 
So, imagine someone who perhaps breeds horses, or simply rides them as a pastime. She’s driving and cannot actually stare at the warning light. Plus its flashing, which can give the illusion of movement. It turned out she was not wearing her safety belt and the 
The example that really told us we had to post these, was a call that described a red warning light as a Genie’s lamp! We love it, and can only imagine the driver had just watched a favorite cartoon with her kids! It is, of course the 
This one was described as a “green dot with a line through it”. The driver was at the wheel at the time, which is the only explanation for that description for this 
You’ll love this one. We’ve had a number of drivers call this one a “P with a sailboat next to it”! How a sailboat could ever be associated with a car is anyone’s guess, but this 
This version of the differential lock symbol has been described as a letter H with an X in it. Some manufacturers include a tell tale with Os in it to indicate free wheeling. We await a tic tac toe game description from a driver!
This is easily recognized as an image of an automobile. However, it has eyelashes! Of course, the eyelashes actually represent light beams emanating from from lights. Tailights in this case. A light out indicator in fact.
Sadly, we’ve heard a dozen descriptions for the
Are You Seeing a Horseshoe-shaped Dashboard Warning Light?
What is the Horseshoe-shaped Dashboard Warning Light?
Its cold weather time again and time again to speak about the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), and its associated warning light(s). Every year several million more drivers who have recently upgraded their cars will encounter the light for the first time.
First, unlike other yellow/amber lights, there is nothing wrong with your car — it presents you information about your tires and likely as not there’s nothing actually wrong with them either.
Why the Light Is On
There are two possible reasons why you are seeing this light. First, as the weather cools the most likely possibility is that all four of your tires are low on air (and/or the spare!). The second possibility is that one tire has a leak of some sort, but we’ll return to that in a moment.
Air expands when heated and contracts when cooled. Air that has cooled and contracted in your tires leads to reduced tire pressure. The warning light comes on and air needs to be added to your tires. Its important to note that air has not actually leaked out.
And while on the subject, a thought for manufacturers. Every vehicle equipped with the tire pressure warning light simply must be equipped with this display. Leaving your customers in the dark by displaying the warning light only is unacceptable to us.
Now, if one tire is several pounds lower than the others, 5, 6 or 7 pounds or more, that tire is leaking and needs to be serviced as soon as possible.
If your vehicle is one that features only the warning light, the tire pressures need to be checked by hand to determine the cause — a single leak or seasonal reduction in all four.
If you’re not comfortable checking your tire pressures or with filling them, the good news is that pretty much every tire store, repair shop or car dealer will fill them for you at no cost. Its simple for them to do and they make a friend in the process, meaning more business from you down the road. Please drop in on one of them.
Each tire valve has a cap that needs to be unscrewed and removed. Don’t lose it — it keeps water and dirt out and will keep the valve from developing a leak.
Learn more about this warning symbol 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.
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