Quite literally nothing can make your butt cheeks clench like the first day in a prison shower than noticing your dashboard is illuminating a “warning light.” So many things start zooming through your head, “What does that mean!”, “How much is this going to cost now!” and “I wonder if ignoring this one can make it go away?”
Trust us, it will not. Dashboard warning lights are meant to do precisely that, warn you of any pending doom (or maintenance) with your car. You might think that simply refusing to look down will solve the problem but ignoring some of these warnings can prove to be fatal to your vehicle.
Check Engine
Easily the most obvious and hated one, you know something’s up when the check engine light is illuminated on your dashboard. While sometimes it can merely indicate a harmless fault, like a loose gas cap, but it usually warns of something much more severe.
This could be anything from an internal issue or overheating. While it’s understandable to try and ignore the problem, hoping that it’ll go away, unfortunately, that is never the case. Ignoring this light could mean severe issues with your engine in the future and, if not addressed promptly, could mean doling out more money.
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Charging system malfunction
There could be a few reasons why this dashboard warning light is rearing its ugly face. It could be something as easy to fix as worn and/or broken belts, but it could also mean the alternator is busted or the automobile’s battery is saying its final goodbyes.
Probably can go without saying, but no battery or alternator means that your car isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Chances are that you don’t want to be caught on the highway or in the middle of nowhere with these problems, so it’ll serve you well to deal with the situation before the worst happens.
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Power Steering Warning
Driving’s hard enough for some people, probably not a good idea to hinder their steering. When you see this dashboard warning light, it means you’ve lost some control of your vehicle. Most modern automobiles use power steering, and without it, it becomes very challenging to control the vehicle at both high and low speeds.
Granted, you can probably still reach your destination in one piece, but constantly fighting against the steering wheel just to change lanes? It’ll be simpler to just take it to your local mechanic.
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Oil Pressure
So there won’t be enough pressure to circulate the oil through your engine; what’s the big deal? Well, when the pressure drops, nothing is lubricating the engine parts. They’re just creating more friction which will then cause a steep decline in the engine’s performance and cause a stall.
While the most common symptom of this dashboard warning light is simply low oil but it could also indicate a damaged oil pump or incorrect oil viscosity. If your car has enough oil, then get it to a maintenance station as soon as possible!
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Cooling System
Overheating is one of the quickest ways to kill your engine, so if you see this light, pull over immediately. Continuing to drive with this light on will just damage crucial engine components, which could lead to a complete engine failure
This is one of those dashboard lights that the quicker you deal with it, the less it will cost you. If you catch the problem quickly enough, there could only be minimal damage to your engine. So, do yourself a favour and get it to a mechanic ASAP!
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Don’t Worry, Autoly’s Making It Easier
Learning and memorizing so many essential warning lights is honestly too much. Usually, you resort to the car’s owner manual or the internet to find the answer anyway. However, Autoly’s app is now equipped with a state-of-the-art scanner that’ll help drivers on such an occasion.
When you see the warning light, simply scan it from your mobile device. It’ll immediately inform you of the issue and the potential cause. But that’s not all; the automobile app will also direct you to the nearest service station to deal with the situation, depending on how severe the problem is.
It’s as easy as that, scan with your phone and get all the information you need in seconds! Automotive innovation at its finest.
