Convertible Top Trouble Light
This past summer (2013), I was fortunate to pick up a pre-owned convertible with a power soft top. The experience has resulted in, first a new power top warning light being introduced to the website and second, a refresher course on the lack of utility that most of today’s automotive warning lights offer drivers.
The power top on my car is quirky and well past its warranty, but being a hands-on guy, I am generally able to deal with any issues that crop up. It sometimes stops near the end of the opening process. The top has gotten confused during the closing process, dropping the rear portion of the top before the storage cover is closed. It may start to open and decide not to! These issues usually require only a moment’s rest and a restart, although in the second case, a manual lift of the rear portion of the top is required.
But the resulting warning light is what I would like to discuss.
The Warning Light?
What does it tell me that I don’t already know? Nothing! The top is not fully closed? No kidding! It is not fully open? Really? How could I have guessed!
Further, the instrument panel features a small rectangular message center that will actually spell out – wait for it – “Soft top not fully closed.” Oh thank you…
This, of course, was a golden opportunity for the manufacturer to perhaps offer a diagnosis, such as to suggest that an actuator is weak and should be replaced, or a power supply is malfunctioning, etc. But instead, the message center reflects the useless warning light and tells me the obvious.
I do not envy the task of creating warning lights, chimes, buzzers and messages that provide necessary information as well keep a company’s liability at bay. Given this website, I have spent some time thinking about these issues. But if the industry is to remain saddled to the warning light paradigm, it seems to me that at minimum, a good deal more thought could go into the information being revealed in message centers.
In the case of a power top, what failed? Why? Was there user error? Is there an actual mechanical, electrical or hydraulic problem needing attention? With other warning lights, answers to those types of questions and more could be offered. For instance, can the car be driven??? Clearly each system and system light would need specialized attention and specialized messaging, which adds to costs. But as it stands, drivers are left with little choice but spend time at a service center, regardless of actual need or of seriousness of a problem.
All these lights and chimes and buzzers are more closely related to the boy who cried wolf than anything useful in the daily life of the driving public. The end result is that a truly serious warning could be and often is ignored.
For the record, the problems with the top are resolved. If you’re working on yours, this video might be helpful.
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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
Our primary picture symbols page has been completely transformed
We just completed the transformation of our primary picture symbols page. It now moves through picture symbols by color, red, yellow/amber/orange (depending on how a driver sees the color), on to green and blue and finally black and white and gray scale indicators.
We kept three other sub-groups on the page as well, including hybrid and electric vehicle indicators, diesel-powered vehicle symbols, and a segment on information displays and message centers. This last one is where the black and white and gray scale indicators now appear.
As we noted in a previous post, our main page, which hosts all the images that are not text, had become a difficult mess to get through and was organized by technology categories. However, this assumes a driver even knows what tech category the mystery light he or she is searching for belongs to!
This is a massive oversite on our part.
We are thus committed to re-ordering everything on the site by color. It will be a long slog, as there are about 50 pages that will need the work. But the work will get done, and we sincerely hope that it simplifies your experience.
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 primary picture symbols page is found here.
And know that we still recommend searching by manufacturer 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.
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