Check engine light symbol why?
Discussion
How in the heck is this a useful symbol for the average driver to warn them of an engine issue?
It’s difficult to describe, hard to search for if you don’t know what it is and doesn’t convey anything to a driver that might be useful.
I know what it means although I really can’t recall when it came into common use. My current car has a digital dash that gives clear pictorial and image warnings for most faults yet it still has a led backlight check engine light.
Has the time come to retire this stupid symbol and just give drivers a more clear warning?
EV drivers - FRO by the way.
Any cars out there that have better symbology?
Rant comes from a family friend phoning this morning to describe a “teapot shaped orange light” on her dash asking what to do. Thank god for smartphones as a photo made it clear to me.
LivLL said:
How in the heck is this a useful symbol for the average driver to warn them of an engine issue?
It’s difficult to describe, hard to search for if you don’t know what it is and doesn’t convey anything to a driver that might be useful.
I know what it means although I really can’t recall when it came into common use. My current car has a digital dash that gives clear pictorial and image warnings for most faults yet it still has a led backlight check engine light.
Has the time come to retire this stupid symbol and just give drivers a more clear warning?
EV drivers - FRO by the way.
Any cars out there that have better symbology?
Rant comes from a family friend phoning this morning to describe a “teapot shaped orange light” on her dash asking what to do. Thank god for smartphones as a photo made it clear to me.
LivLL said:
How in the heck is this a useful symbol for the average driver to warn them of an engine issue?
It’s difficult to describe, hard to search for if you don’t know what it is and doesn’t convey anything to a driver that might be useful.
I know what it means although I really can’t recall when it came into common use. My current car has a digital dash that gives clear pictorial and image warnings for most faults yet it still has a led backlight check engine light.
Has the time come to retire this stupid symbol and just give drivers a more clear warning?
EV drivers - FRO by the way.
Any cars out there that have better symbology?
Rant comes from a family friend phoning this morning to describe a “teapot shaped orange light” on her dash asking what to do. Thank god for smartphones as a photo made it clear to me.
My wife called me once saying a strange light was showing on the dash, and asked what to do. There then followed a 5 minute game of telephone charades as she described the check engine light variously as a trumpet, box with a line on it, funny shaped house.... etc....etc.
Citroen had it right 40 years ago - if there is a problem, "STOP". Typical French nuttiness though, the other symbols are unfathomable gibberish!!
Dapster said:
Citroen had it right 40 years ago - if there is a problem, "STOP". Typical French nuttiness though, the other symbols are unfathomable gibberish!!
When I had a GS I had to ask what the 3rd light on the left in your picture meant (the picture is of a CX dash but the GS has the same symbol). Its the oil in the torque converter overheating - C-Matic transmission only. Fine, but they could have blanked it off in manual cars... Dracoro said:
Can anyone answer why car manufacturers (esp with all the screens etc.) don’t have a menu option so owners (and mechanics etc for that matter) to read the code details?
I.e. no real need to plug in an OBD reader.
So the average driver needs to take it to the dealer and pay them to plug in their diagnostic kit.I.e. no real need to plug in an OBD reader.
If its anything like the car that was in for an MOT before mine telling the owner what it meant would be pointless. The car in before mine had "brake light malfunction" or similar on the dash, the tester when explaining why the car had failed its MOT, the owner said "oh I wondered what that meant, its been showing that for months" A new bulb, 3 new tyres and some windscreen wipers and he will be able to get a pass.
Never really thought about it before but it's an odd one isn't it. I'm not sure you could make a simplistic outline shape which "looks like an engine", and even if you could I suspect the huge majority of car drivers don't actually know what an engine looks like anyway so it wouldn't be very helpful... but that symbol seems to be about the worst of all worlds.
Without the funny line across the top you could argue it looks a bit like an old longitudinal engine with a mechanical fan (with the gearbox removed and the flywheel showing), but if that's the intention I can't imagine what the bar across the top is meant to represent.
Without the funny line across the top you could argue it looks a bit like an old longitudinal engine with a mechanical fan (with the gearbox removed and the flywheel showing), but if that's the intention I can't imagine what the bar across the top is meant to represent.
Dapster said:
Citroen had it right 40 years ago - if there is a problem, "STOP". Typical French nuttiness though, the other symbols are unfathomable gibberish!!
Hydropneumatic steering and brakes meant that an engine problem could be very serious. "Check engine" is a suggestion, "STOP" isn't. 
kambites said:
Without the funny line across the top you could argue it looks a bit like an old longitudinal engine with a mechanical fan (with the gearbox removed and the flywheel showing), but if that's the intention I can't imagine what the bar across the top is meant to represent.
'Pancake' air filter housing presumably.
Monkeylegend said:
Dracoro said:
Can anyone answer why car manufacturers (esp with all the screens etc.) don’t have a menu option so owners (and mechanics etc for that matter) to read the code details?
I.e. no real need to plug in an OBD reader.
My BMW has this accessed via the iDrive menu. I.e. no real need to plug in an OBD reader.
Gad-Westy said:
Monkeylegend said:
Dracoro said:
Can anyone answer why car manufacturers (esp with all the screens etc.) don’t have a menu option so owners (and mechanics etc for that matter) to read the code details?
I.e. no real need to plug in an OBD reader.
My BMW has this accessed via the iDrive menu. I.e. no real need to plug in an OBD reader.
LivLL said:
How in the heck is this a useful symbol for the average driver to warn them of an engine issue?
It’s difficult to describe, hard to search for if you don’t know what it is and doesn’t convey anything to a driver that might be useful.
I know what it means although I really can’t recall when it came into common use. My current car has a digital dash that gives clear pictorial and image warnings for most faults yet it still has a led backlight check engine light.
Has the time come to retire this stupid symbol and just give drivers a more clear warning?
EV drivers - FRO by the way.
Any cars out there that have better symbology?
Rant comes from a family friend phoning this morning to describe a “teapot shaped orange light” on her dash asking what to do. Thank god for smartphones as a photo made it clear to me.
Folk can pay 50 grand for a car, a thing that weighs a ton and half and more, at speed without being arsed to learn about it how it works by having a scan through the manual ?
Thats on them, manufacturers shouldnt have to dumb it down any further, which is usually pretty idiot proof, if you cant get your head round this then maybe those people shouldnt have the privilege to drive a car ?
I did hear of an oil light being described as the "Gravy boat light", that one was an expensive lesson as the car was not short of gravy, it was short of oil and engines are a bit fussy about that.
Its like that Ruffords Ford, make a detour, dont ruin your car by drivng through metre deep water, this means you are too stupid to be trusted with a motor vehicle, here are some crayons, dont eat them !
Monkeylegend said:
Gad-Westy said:
Monkeylegend said:
Dracoro said:
Can anyone answer why car manufacturers (esp with all the screens etc.) don’t have a menu option so owners (and mechanics etc for that matter) to read the code details?
I.e. no real need to plug in an OBD reader.
My BMW has this accessed via the iDrive menu. I.e. no real need to plug in an OBD reader.
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