Are they really idiot lights? If you were to ask a thousand automotive types this question you would probably hear nine hundred ninety nine yeas and one nay. But are the feelings and opinions of automotive experts actually valid for the average driver? Probably not!

The theory that red lights are bad comes from people who have an intimate knowledge of the intricacies of reading gauges. Their experience gives them the ability to quickly learn a lot about the general condition of an engine. But let’s be realistic, most drivers don’t know enough about reading gauges to grasp meaningful information from them. No, average drivers are usually better served by red warning lights than gauges. To understand why, you need to appreciate the difference between gauges and lights and the plusses and minuses of each.

If you’re a driver who watches gauges carefully you’ll be able to recognize when a long term problem is developing and take preemptive action. Oil pressure that slowly drops or temperature that slowly rises can be caught early before serious damage occurs. But this only works if you know what these signals mean and what action to take. In truth most drivers have no idea what readings are really important or what to do. A constant eye on the gauges isn’t possible either so disaster could strike in the seconds when you’re not looking. Just a few seconds at highway speed without oil pressure is all it takes to destroy an engine.

Now consider the lowly red light. You’re considerably more apt to notice a bright red light suddenly illuminating before your eyes than the movement of a gauge pointer. This is especially true at night when the contrast is dramatic. Easier to notice is a plus, but red lights don’t give an indication of the onset of long term problems in their infancy like gauges. You could also be driving with oil pressure that’s just high enough to keep the light from illuminating but not high enough to fully protect your engine.

Gauge fanatics claim lights aren’t reliable. Wrong! In the stone age of cars, lights and gauges were quite different. Gauges were mechanical and reliable. Lights were electrical and troublesome. However, today both are sophisticated, highly reliable, electrical units. Okay, which really is best, a gauge or a light? The perfect car would have both but that’s not usually an option so because you’re more likely to see it quickly, the “idiot light”wins.

Lights aren’t idiots but the driver who looks at the glowing, red warning and ignores it probably is. They try to go “just a little further”, after all it’s only two miles to the repair shop or “I’m so close to home it’ll be ok”. Ideas such as these cause motorists to spend millions of extra repair dollars every year. Most glowing red lights on instrument panels mean STOP NOW not three blocks or a mile down the road, NOW! Think of the red dash light in the same way you think of a red traffic signal, both mean stop now.

Avoiding a major catastrophe is easy, study your owners manual and familiarize yourself with the warnings associated with each light on your instrument panel. When that dreaded problem occurs don’t try to beat the odds, turn the car off immediately and follow your manual instructions. Remember, you and only you can determine whether it’s an idiot light or an idiot looking at a light.

© Copyright 11/28/1995 Pat Goss all rights reserved