Herald How-To: Addressing Your Dashboard Lights

By Jackson Stone

The dashboard lights are your vehicle’s way of informing you something is wrong. It is important to be able to understand what these lights mean and what to do if they happen to come on.

For the average college student, we know it is not a good sign when these come on, but what do we do about it? When it comes to your dash lights, the colors matter! Green and blue lights are simply to let you know a system is on or running. For example, the high beam headlight light is generally blue to inform you your high beams are on.

Orange or yellow generally means that your vehicle needs to be serviced or repaired soon. These are normally much less urgent than a red or flashing red light.

A red light is the most serious and should be dealt with immediately. While some are safety warnings like your flashing seatbelt light or a door ajar light, others signify serious mechanical issues like the engine overheating. If you encounter a red mechanical light, pull over when safe and identify the issue.

Most if not all auto parts stores can scan your car for free! Stop by Advanced Auto Parts (for example), inform them you have a mechanical warning light on, and they will be able to scan your vehicle and give you an exact reason as to why your vehicle is having trouble. If that isn’t something you feel up to, you can take it directly to an auto shop. Leroy’s Automotive and Grace Automotive, both of which are local Buena Vista shops, are both great options. These shops have the reviews and the customer service to give every customer peace of mind that their vehicle is in good hands. These shops will be able to identify the problem and give an estimate to fix it.

Now that you have a better understanding of your car’s warning light system, put that knowledge to work and get your car fixed. Stay on the lookout for more articles about the basics of car maintenance.