Do you know the meaning of these warning lights on your car?

Alarmingly, more than a quarter of us rely on the internet to identify the meaning of warning lights on our car, according to a survey by the AA in 2020.

The electronic systems in modern cars are all fitted with sensors to monitor their status. And if they detect a problem, the driver is alerted by a warning light on the dashboard. As a general rule of thumb, amber warning lights mean something needs to be checked by a professional, while red lights need immediate attention. If a car has a really serious problem, it will put itself into limp mode – which limits the power output to protect the engine. This would normally be in response to an engine management light appears.

At Just the Ticket we understand that it feels like hard work to dig out the handbook (assuming you can even find it!) and plough through it to identify a particular problem. But Google really isn’t the answer. Plus, it’s important to remember that warning lights can vary depending on the make and model of your car.

Not to be ignored

As Dave Ellis of JTT says: “They are called warning lights for a reason. So, the main thing is not to ignore them. And it might be something very straightforward. We get calls from people worried about the tyre pressure monitoring light. But this is simply a case of setting your tyre pressures and then resetting the system. Which, of course, we’re happy to do for you but it’s actually a job that you can easily do yourself.”

So, it’s definitely worth checking in with the professionals. And we’re more than happy to help. Feel free to call the office on 020 8336 1111 to book your car in. Or you can just take a quick photo and pop it over on email with details of the make and model of your vehicle. We’ll do our best to get back to you ASAP.

Just for fun...

In the meantime, and since we’re all locked down with time on our hands… how many of the warning lights in the photo can you identify (without resorting to Google!) Click here for the answers. There’s no prize to be honest but do drop us an email to let us know your score out of 16!