Car dealers found themselves on the wrong side of three customers who contacted us over the last week or so. They, plus a fourth who skipped his dealer, have something to teach those of us in the auto industry.
Number 1
Our first case involved a dying key fob. Fortunately, her car continued to start but the locks had begun to misbehave. She’s a personal friend and relayed the problem in casual conversation. I recommended a new battery for the fob, and as she was bringing the car in for a recall the next day, she would note the problem. When she dropped off the car, she asked to have the fob’s battery replaced.
They took care of the recall and failed to replace the battery, so back to the dealer she went. Its truly small consolation – they had the car! – but she did get the battery for free.
Our next two revolve around instrument panels. Not traditional warning lights, but rather messaging that has become so prevalent over the last several years. In each case, these drivers contacted their dealers asking what they were seeing.
Service personnel had no idea. So they took to the web and found us.
Number 2
The first car, a Smart Pulse, had begun a daily countdown past a missed service interval, which to an untrained eye looked rather intimidating. Add to this that the dealer didn’t know what the countdown meant, and the result was a very anxious driver. An example is shown to the right, has a wrench and a -3 (days). Its a bit difficult to see, but it took only a few minutes in the vehicles owner’s manual to decipher the answer.
Number 3
Our second instrument panel from a Fiat had also begun displaying information that the car’s owner had not previously seen. In this case, the driver had accidentally changed the display herself. The panel was now showing average miles to the gallon, mpg, which was in lower case. The “g” in the font used really looked like a “9”. She sent a photo shown to the right. Again, a few minutes in the owner’s manual turned up the answer.
Number 4
Our fourth driver didn’t actually have a problem, but when I relayed the stories, he laughed and said he would have called AAA! He spends that money every year, and by gosh they would be his first choice.
So what do we take from these incidents?
The first and best lesson is that only one of these drivers, the Smart owner, consulted their owner’s manuals. And he did not dig deep enough or understand what he read (he didn’t say). The first three started all made calls to their dealer. The fourth would have gone to AAA. Every new system added by auto manufacturers is backed up by an equally new entry in the manual and it is assumed that this is where a driver will turn. And understand.
They don’t…
Manufacturers are in a continual struggle to bring their customers up to speed on their vehicles, and from our perspective continue to fail. Showing a new owner a feature will never replace experiencing it for the first, second or third time. In our examples here, changeable instrument panel displays are a good idea on paper but less so in practice.
For all the training and experience, service personnel are only human. And in these incidents, their failings are left in full display. And at first blush, they may not take the time to problem solve. I say at first blush because they are not identified and do not have the opportunity to tell their side.
Which is the second lesson. Manufacturers also continue to struggle to keep their own personnel up to speed. Our largest concern in these examples is the failure to replace a key fob battery. We are moving inexorably towards all cars being equipped with push button start capability, and a non-working key fob is in our minds a safety concern. It will likely take a lawsuit from a stranded motorist to drive this point home. Every service person across the industry must make sure that their customers have new key fob batteries once a year.
And third, while a manual was available, the Internet was chosen for a search for an answer instead! This is where drivers increasingly turn for help.
We, and others like us, are happy to help.
In the meantime, automakers surely want to simplify their products. Add all the features you want, but with an eye towards making them simple to use, experience and understand.
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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
These are Owner Manual Indicatorsymbols. The image of an open book with a letter ‘i’ or exclamation point inside indicates that the driver should reference the owner’s manual. It is generally associated with the display of a text message or a series of text messages shown in center message display on the instrument panel.
Before continuing, are you sure this is your symbol?? If yes, then read on below.
Unfortunately, the driver may need the manual to discover what the image means!
If you need a copy of your manual, you can find electronic versions for many makes and models here. Some links can point you to printed manuals as well, if you prefer.
——————————————————————-
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
What the Hell is that Light on My Dashboard? Automotive service departments across the country are inundated with questions like this on a daily basis. So, what IS that light? That new acronym? What do they mean? Do you know?
Here at DashboardSymbols.com, we will show you, 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. And, with this site, we put the tools you need to get the proper service in the palm of your hand.
Cars are changing, and among those changes is the growing number of symbols and indicators that will invariably show up on your instrument panel. Every year, new features are added to vehicles, each of which is accompanied by a new symbol or acronym. Drivers are frustrated, afraid and sometimes even angry at the growing number of these seemingly senseless symbols. Known as tell-tales in the industry, we are dedicated to keeping them sorted out for you.
On this site you will find pictorial representations of all the little warning lights, symbols and signs that show up from time to time on your instrument panel, including the text versions. We can’t fix a problem for you. What we can do is give you enough information to know what you need to do and perhaps let you breath a little easier.
The intent of DashboadSymbols.com is show you what the symbol is and supply a summary of the function it describes as well as what, if anything, you can do. Certainly we can tell you what the manufacturer expects you to do. For the full function of any feature of your vehicle, refer to your owners manual or contact your dealer.
The point is to help you relax — and keep moving if at all possible — rather than leave you fretting whenever one of these lights shows up. And ultimately to create information tools you can keep with you for use 24/7.
——————————————————————-
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
These are Owner Manual Indicator symbols. The image of an open book with a letter ‘i’ or exclamation point inside indicates that the driver should reference the owner’s manual. It is generally associated with the display of a text message or a series of text messages shown in center message display on the instrument panel.
A Tale of Four Drivers – And the Car Dealers That Failed Them
Four Drivers
Car dealers found themselves on the wrong side of three customers who contacted us over the last week or so. They, plus a fourth who skipped his dealer, have something to teach those of us in the auto industry.
Our first case involved a dying key fob. Fortunately, her car continued to start but the locks had begun to misbehave. She’s a personal friend and relayed the problem in casual conversation. I recommended a new battery for the fob, and as she was bringing the car in for a recall the next day, she would note the problem. When she dropped off the car, she asked to have the fob’s battery replaced.
They took care of the recall and failed to replace the battery, so back to the dealer she went. Its truly small consolation – they had the car! – but she did get the battery for free.
Our next two revolve around instrument panels. Not traditional warning lights, but rather messaging that has become so prevalent over the last several years. In each case, these drivers contacted their dealers asking what they were seeing.
Service personnel had no idea. So they took to the web and found us.
The first car, a Smart Pulse, had begun a daily countdown past a missed service interval, which to an untrained eye looked rather intimidating. Add to this that the dealer didn’t know what the countdown meant, and the result was a very anxious driver. An example is shown to the right, has a wrench and a -3 (days). Its a bit difficult to see, but it took only a few minutes in the vehicles owner’s manual to decipher the answer.
Our second instrument panel from a Fiat had also begun displaying information that the car’s owner had not previously seen. In this case, the driver had accidentally changed the display herself. The panel was now showing average miles to the gallon, mpg, which was in lower case. The “g” in the font used really looked like a “9”. She sent a photo shown to the right. Again, a few minutes in the owner’s manual turned up the answer.
Number 4
Our fourth driver didn’t actually have a problem, but when I relayed the stories, he laughed and said he would have called AAA! He spends that money every year, and by gosh they would be his first choice.
So what do we take from these incidents?
The first and best lesson is that only one of these drivers, the Smart owner, consulted their owner’s manuals. And he did not dig deep enough or understand what he read (he didn’t say). The first three started all made calls to their dealer. The fourth would have gone to AAA. Every new system added by auto manufacturers is backed up by an equally new entry in the manual and it is assumed that this is where a driver will turn. And understand.
They don’t…
Manufacturers are in a continual struggle to bring their customers up to speed on their vehicles, and from our perspective continue to fail. Showing a new owner a feature will never replace experiencing it for the first, second or third time. In our examples here, changeable instrument panel displays are a good idea on paper but less so in practice.
For all the training and experience, service personnel are only human. And in these incidents, their failings are left in full display. And at first blush, they may not take the time to problem solve. I say at first blush because they are not identified and do not have the opportunity to tell their side.
Which is the second lesson. Manufacturers also continue to struggle to keep their own personnel up to speed. Our largest concern in these examples is the failure to replace a key fob battery. We are moving inexorably towards all cars being equipped with push button start capability, and a non-working key fob is in our minds a safety concern. It will likely take a lawsuit from a stranded motorist to drive this point home. Every service person across the industry must make sure that their customers have new key fob batteries once a year.
And third, while a manual was available, the Internet was chosen for a search for an answer instead! This is where drivers increasingly turn for help.
We, and others like us, are happy to help.
In the meantime, automakers surely want to simplify their products. Add all the features you want, but with an eye towards making them simple to use, experience and understand.
——————————————————————-
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