>They also employ UX techniques that dates from a time where the only UI component you can use was a light bulb. If that red thing is critical, can’t you tell me right away what it means?
This annoyed me a little bit. A check engine light is the perfect component for what it does. If it's on it means that something may be seriously wrong and that you're probably too stupid or ill-equipped to fix it.
If it was something simple, easily detectable and fixable it would have its own light, ie the door is open, you're running out of gas.
It's also a great design because it needs to be highly reliable, and lights are probably the simplest things you can apply power to to generate a notification.
Also the note about the tachometer struck me as a little odd. The tachometer can tell you if your vehicle is running at a high idle, if the bumps you're feeling are misfires or the road, and it can also tell you whether you've accidentally left your vehicle in 3rd instead of drive after coasting to a stop. Finally, the tach can be used as a raw assessment of the load you're putting on an engine and you can optimize your driving habits according to that. It's not useless information and I much prefer it to an extra cluster of dummy lamps for all that stuff.
Finally, the tach can be used as a raw assessment of the load you're putting on an engine and you can optimize your driving habits according to that.
Perfect example of this are the people who drive with an automatic and somehow manage to stay just below a shift point much of the time, meaning that the engine is at a higher RPM than it needs to be and could be consuming more fuel and wearing faster as a result.
...this doesn't really tally, especially in modern automatics with electronic gearboxes. Most engines are optimally efficient at some key number of revs, and the gearbox strives to keep the car in that range.
>It's also a great design because it needs to be highly reliable, and lights are probably the simplest things you can apply power to to generate a notification.
Only that's a BS reason, because you could always have the "simple reliable" light AND a more detailed explanation in a panel next to it.
I used to own a 2001 Hyundai Accent, with a 5 speed manual. It didn't have a tachometer. You learned what the car sounded like, and learned the shift points based upon the engine noise.
I could tell when it was idling high (for example on cold days) simply because I had driven it a lot. I didn't need a tachometer for that.
If your car is misfiring the check engine light should come on. These days a car misfiring can have serious consequences...
This is not true. The check engine light can come on in some cars if the gas cap is not screwed on tight enough - easily fixed yet treated as serious as a major engine malfunction.
It can also come on for no apparent reason. Mine is on right now. Gas cap is tight, car is running fine. Starts right up, runs smooth, power is good, fuel economy normal. So I'm not going to take it into the shop.
In this day and age we can have something more informative than a check engine light. Tell me what's wrong, or at least have a "verbose" option I can enable that will let me see WTF it thinks the problem is.
I think the check engine light is a giant scam to get people to take their car in for service when there is nothing wrong with it.
My OBD-I truck had a pair of pins that, when shorted together with a paperclip, would read out the exact trouble code through the check engine light.
As far as a verbose option, if you pull into an O'Reilly's or other auto parts store they will lend you, for free, an OBD-II scan tool with which you can read out the exact error plus any corresponding sensor data(freeze frame).
If your check engine light isn't flashing, it's actually because your vehicle has detected an issue with your emissions equipment that means that the engine control module is not able to regulate emissions to within EPA requirements. There are various reasons why this could be the case, but it usually indicates an imminent failure.
For example, mine is currently on because it's detecting a lean fuel condition in the cylinder bank when under high load, which means either that my fuel injection system is not able to keep up or that my throttle is letting too much air into the intake manifold. My car is still drive-able, but I definitely need to have it looked at because my fuel pump or injectors could be going out or my throttle could be faulty.
The point is that it's not a scam, it's providing you useful, predictive information. You just need to know how to retrieve it.
You can buy an OBD-II reader for $8. It's cheap enough that the first time it tells you your gas cap was loose, it's paid for itself.
So, for a trivial cost you can get your verbose option. Most people are not going to have any knowledge or desire to have this information, so it's a silly feature to include.
I purchased a Bluetooth one from Amazon ($10.99) and an Android app (Torque Pro, $5). Great tool for $16 all in. Plus the ODB-II adapter can be used to configure some "quality of life" stuff in newer cars (e.g. the constant cabin backup beep sound on the 2014 Prius).
You will need an Android phone already, but these days that is pretty common (particularly for technical people). Just get the error code and Google it, it becomes pretty obvious what it is.
I know my 2007 Lexus has those programmable options like beep durations and such, but I have only found two solutions - paying the dealership $60 to change them, or buying a $15 android app that changes them. I could do it myself, but the codes (Lexus Personalized Settings) are secret. Did you find a free alternative to modify your Prius settings?
Never ignore check engine lights even if everything is seemingly ok. It could be a lot of different things, some harmless but some not so much. If it's something with a sensor or other intake part, it could also be taking away your gas mileage.
Pro tip: As the others stated, they make good obd-2 readers for cheap and you can also go to many auto parts stores and they'll use theirs to give you the code print out for free.
Not exactly a scam. It means your car is not running optimally; generally it means it is polluting more than it should due to O2 sensor failure or backpressure from tailpipe.
Ok perhaps the example was a little off due to design abuse from some manufacturers. For example (I think) Alfa Romeo put the gas light on if the fuel cap is loose/missing. This is more of an appropriate design. (Unless it's a diesel then it really is a problem)
The point that I was trying to address is that if there is a critical warning that you can't do anything about, there's no more info needed than 'stop and seek help' which is perfectly served by a simple light.
Or do you want a 1 page problem statement to flash up on the dash and explain why you really need to pull over. The only reason you would do such a thing is if you wanted the user to make the evaluation of whether or not it is important or something that can be ignored.
Manufacturers do not abuse the Malfunction Indicator Lamp. Its _legislated_ purpose is to alert the driver to issues which could compromise the emissions control systems of a vehicle. A loose gas cap causes a pressure leak in the EVAP system which captures fuel vapors from the gas tank.
The light is ridiculous. It should read the code in models that have a text display, instead of needing to go to Autozone and rent an OBD code reader. It's bullshit. Tell me the error up front so I can Google it.
The problem is that the OBD codes aren't always specific. Sometimes they're specific enough to diagnose the problem, sometimes they're not, which is why you still need someone with auto expertise to correctly identify the problem. Most shops will warranty against unneeded repairs as a result of reading the code by virtue of buying their $99 "Check Engine Light Service" (whereas Autozone's reader is free to borrow). I've been in the situation where a shop made a check engine light repair that didn't fix the problem, so they made another $500 repair to actually remedy the problem.
The most unspecific OBD code, IMO, is any EVAP code. Seriously could be 100 things, from as simple as a gas cap not being screwed on, to a tiny leak in a gas line, to a bad 02 sensor, to a dead spark plug, leak or rot in the fuel line, bad fuel pump, dirty fuel filter.... ect ect ect....
> This annoyed me a little bit. A check engine light is the perfect component for what it does. If it's on it means that something may be seriously wrong and that you're probably too stupid or ill-equipped to fix it.
> If it was something simple, easily detectable and fixable it would have its own light, ie the door is open, you're running out of gas.
I've been in new vehicles with a single light for "low tire pressure". But it wouldn't tell you which tire. Sure, I can discover this by manually reading the pressure on all the tires, but the system has to already know this information. It's just incapable of displaying it.
I wouldn't say 'incapable' because you can use an OBD device (less than $20 like http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LHVOVK/ ) to access that information. It's pretty much plug and play for those who care about that kind of thing.
The average consumer can just take it to a tire shop and let them figure out which tire has an issue.
That is not the purpose of the check engine light (official name "Malfunction Indicator Light"). At least in the US the light only comes on when there is a problem that affects emissions, and it is usually nothing that would cause a breakdown. It usually does not mean anything serious is wrong and the most common cause is a loose gas cap, which is easily fixed.
A check engine light most definitely can tell you that you are about to have a breakdown. It's original and most common purpose is emissions control, but it has been extended. An overheating engine will cause the check engine light to come on (happened to me last week in an 88 4Runner) and this has nothing directly to do with emissions. Blow a head gasket, and there could be a long list of repairs besides a new gasket. And even if it is a problem that primarily affects emissions, it might still have a bigger problem. A bad O2 sensor can cause your engine to enter open loop and run rich, meaning that you're blowing gasoline out your tail pipe, costing you money. A misfire can cause the light to come on (bad spark plugs, compression leak, bad fuel injector, bad timing, bad lots of things) and can cause reduced power (which might not be noticeable in city driving), burnt valves, and again blowing gasoline out your tail pipe. Blowing gasoline out your tailpipe will ruin your catalytic converter, which you might not care about right now, but will matter if you try to smog your vehicle to sell it. I've had the check engine come on in a number of vehicles I've worked on, and it has always been a more serious problem than a loose gas cap.
The previous owner of the above mentioned 4Runner ignored her check engine light. By the time I got to it, the engine, 02 sensor, and catalytic converter were destroyed. If your check engine light is on, scan the codes and make sure that it isn't anything serious.
Yeah to second what the other poster said, it can indeed mean a lot of different things. Sometimes it is as simple as an emissions error but sometimes, especially if you ever see it flashing, that means there's something bad wrong going on with the engine itself. It could be anything from a knock or misfire in the engine to sensor failure. It's always wise to get it checked (a lot of auto parts stores do it for free) or just buy a cheap but good obd-2 tool and that will tell you the code and you can go Google and research from there.
The engine warning light is actually the shittiest thing on the dashboard. It can mean anywhere from 10 to 500 things, and nobody knows.
Result? Manufacturer manuals ALL OF THEM will tell you: "Just keep on driving, if it doesn't go off after a few days/a few drives bring the car to a mechanic."
Seriously, go get your manual and check what it says.
I mean, what the fuck?
How the hell is that good in ANY way, shape or form?
Manuals instruct you to to wait for the light to appear on multiple driving cycles because the light can trip during a particular drive due to spurious sensor readings or malfunctions. That does not make the light useless.
This annoyed me a little bit. A check engine light is the perfect component for what it does. If it's on it means that something may be seriously wrong and that you're probably too stupid or ill-equipped to fix it.
If it was something simple, easily detectable and fixable it would have its own light, ie the door is open, you're running out of gas.