Vehicle warning lights

Get to know your Vehicle warning lights

Know where they are and how to use them

On the dashboard of your vehicle there are a number of warning lights. There are a number of standard ones and probably a few that the manufacturer has added themselves

Your instructor will point out the position and meaning of these lights to you as they differ from car to car. As a general rule these lights will be red when they light up

Some of them light up when you first turn the engine on and then go out after a few seconds. This is the period of time required for your electronic system to check itself, and the systems that it controls, over for faults

Some of these lights are so important that if they stay on you should not drive the car at all

The fuel symbol indicates that you only have a minimum amount of fuel left in the tank. It is quite important when you own your own car that you know what that amount is. It varies from car to car and it is important because you will at least know how many miles that you can cover in your search for a garage. Important information if you are in an area that you do not know too well

The 'ABS' warning light is telling you that there is something wrong with the braking system on your vehicle. If this one lights up and does not go off after a few seconds do not drive the car. Call someone who knows how to fix it

The engine check light will come on before you start the engine and stay on for a little while afterwards. Pre-ignition it indicates that the electronics system on your vehicle is being checked constantly. Immediately after starting the engine the system will perform a set of checks to ensure that the engine is running to its optimum of both efficiency and performance before going off

The battery warning light will come on pre-ignition and it simply means that your alternator is not providing enough charge to run the vehicle. Once the engine has been switched on the alternator will run and this light will go out. If it does not then a visit to a garage may be on the cards

The door warning light tells you that at least one of the doors has not been properly closed. On some makes this will include the boot or rear door and on some it even includes the fuel cap cover. Once all doors are properly closed the light will go off

The oil can light indicates that there is not enough oil pressure in the engine. It will be on pre-ignition because the engine is not creating the pressure. Soon after the engine has been started it should go out. If it does not then you should check the engine oil level of your engine and top it up if necessary. If the light is still lit then a trip to the garage is again a possibility

The seatbelt light will light up if the driver does not put their seat belt on properly then this light will stay lit until you do