Car dashboard symbols and indicators - infographic

[Altair]

Car dashboard symbols and indicators.




Previously:

Citroen Visa dashboard - photo
Aviation-inspired dashboard - photo
McLaren 720S folding instrument cluster - GIF
1982 Aston Martin Lagonda dashboard - photo

[Frank S]

If I had a CAR that needed all of those symbols to run I would sledge hammer the dashboard remove 50 lbs of excess wiring and sensors make a dash out of aluminum or steel install a select few analog or mechanical gages wipe the programing from the ECM add back only what was required for the engine to start and run

[nova_robotics]

I have three cars with brake sensor lights. The "sensor" just a wire in the brake friction material in a little rubber pencil eraser. The friction material wears down through the wire and the light comes on. Very simple, no stupid brake squealers. I like that feature. 90% of the rest of those indicators seem crazy to me.

Although all of these goofy lights do make the case for modern high resolution LCD displays. Instead of some weird hieroglyphic indecipherable pantomime nonsense that looks like it belongs on the golden record from the Voyager missions, it can actually write the problem out using WORDS AND LETTERS.

Also, if you don't own a $15 bluetooth OBD2 adapters from Amazon, you need to do this immediately. It's life changing.

[Frank S]

I have three cars with brake sensor lights. The "sensor" just a wire in the brake friction material in a little rubber pencil eraser. The friction material wears down through the wire and the light comes on. Very simple, no stupid brake squealers. I like that feature. 90% of the rest of those indicators seem crazy to me.

Although all of these goofy lights do make the case for modern high resolution LCD displays. Instead of some weird hieroglyphic indecipherable pantomime nonsense that looks like it belongs on the golden record from the Voyager missions, it can actually write the problem out using WORDS AND LETTERS.

Also, if you don't own a $15 bluetooth OBD2 adapters from Amazon, you need to do this immediately. It's life changing.

easier to plug my OBD2 program scanner into the socket and my laptop and just reprogram all of the useless crap out of the ECM. Or take it to Oklahoma and Have Urik give it a super tune, once all of the emissions nonsense is removed he can make it have 80% more power 40% better fuel mileage and 20% lower emissions than it came from the factory. But hey if the government wanted to actually do anything for the environment they wouldn't be paying lobbyist to keep them in power

[nova_robotics]

easier to plug my OBD2 program scanner into the socket and my laptop and just reprogram all of the useless crap out of the ECM. Or take it to Oklahoma and Have Urik give it a super tune, once all of the emissions nonsense is removed he can make it have 80% more power 40% better fuel mileage and 20% lower emissions than it came from the factory. But hey if the government wanted to actually do anything for the environment they wouldn't be paying lobbyist to keep them in power

Previously I would have 100% agreed with you, but about 6 months ago a buddy of mine did a DPF delete on his 2018 F250 Superduty and... I don't like it. The truck's worse. Like a lot worse. I never thought I would say that, but that is a better machine with the DPF installed. Hell just froze over. The truck just feels measurably shittier. I'm sure in the quarter mile it would be a half second faster, and probably gets better fuel mileage, but my gut tells me that truck is 15 years older and 15 years slower than it should be.

Anyway I'm glad he did it, because I got to learn from his mistake. If I bought a F250 with the 6.7 the first thing I would have done is rip that stupid DPF off and take it to the scrap dealer. The things are worth a million dollars now. But I probably would have been cursing myself for doing it.

But in general yes, I agree with you. I'm just giving the specific outlier case of the F250, the outcome of which very much surprised me.

[Frank S]

Previously I would have 100% agreed with you, but about 6 months ago a buddy of mine did a DPF delete on his 2018 F250 Superduty and... I don't like it. The truck's worse. Like a lot worse. I never thought I would say that, but that is a better machine with the DPF installed. Hell just froze over. The truck just feels measurably shittier. I'm sure in the quarter mile it would be a half second faster, and probably gets better fuel mileage, but my gut tells me that truck is 15 years older and 15 years slower than it should be.

Anyway I'm glad he did it, because I got to learn from his mistake. If I bought a F250 with the 6.7 the first thing I would have done is rip that stupid DPF off and take it to the scrap dealer. The things are worth a million dollars now. But I probably would have been cursing myself for doing it.

But in general yes, I agree with you. I'm just giving the specific outlier case of the F250, the outcome of which very much surprised me.

All the more reason why I buy older vehicles. Used to be the case I could buy one for little of nothing say a 91 F250 7.3 IDI for $300.00 spend a couple hundred on getting it running buy 4 new tires for it and drive the heck out of it for years. It obviously will not pull with some of the newer trucks but I can haul 600 gallons of water in totes in the bed, at 75MPH and still get 16 MPG. If my wife can make me keep my foot out of it running empty on longer trips driving around 60 to 65 it will get just under 19 depending on wind direction. My partner has a new F250 well it is a year old now and has close to 25,000 miles Gas engine 6 speed automatic the best it has ever gotten him driving at 60 MPH on a long trip was 17.8 its has had 2 recalls and been in the shop 4 times currently has some issue with some electronic gizmo he is complaining about. 1 of the recalls was because if someone happens to slam the doors shut with the windows up the windshield can pop out. Huh! What's up with that?

[nova_robotics]

All the more reason why I buy older vehicles. Used to be the case I could buy one for little of nothing say a 91 F250 7.3 IDI for $300.00 spend a couple hundred on getting it running buy 4 new tires for it and drive the heck out of it for years. It obviously will not pull with some of the newer trucks but I can haul 600 gallons of water in totes in the bed, at 75MPH and still get 16 MPG. If my wife can make me keep my foot out of it running empty on longer trips driving around 60 to 65 it will get just under 19 depending on wind direction. My partner has a new F250 well it is a year old now and has close to 25,000 miles Gas engine 6 speed automatic the best it has ever gotten him driving at 60 MPH on a long trip was 17.8 its has had 2 recalls and been in the shop 4 times currently has some issue with some electronic gizmo he is complaining about. 1 of the recalls was because if someone happens to slam the doors shut with the windows up the windshield can pop out. Huh! What's up with that?

Yeah that's crazy. I'm also not a fan of new vehicles. I just bought a 2005 Tundra after my 2004 Dakota bit it. It's the newest vehicle I own. I'd buy a 90s Sonoma or an S10 if I could find one. They're all rotted to dust around here though.

[odd one]

I have seen a couple of symbols light up on the dash of my subaru that are not listed there. Electronics will be the death of most vehicles, not necessarily the mechanical side. Seems as my vehicles get older, I have to replace sensors more than anything else.

[Floradawg]

Car dashboard symbols and indicators.




Previously:

Citroen Visa dashboard - photo
Aviation-inspired dashboard - photo
McLaren 720S folding instrument cluster - GIF
1982 Aston Martin Lagonda dashboard - photo

Rear spoiler warning. Whatup wid dat?

[nova_robotics]

Rear spoiler warning. Whatup wid dat?

I have a car with that light. It's a real thing. You start the car and the light is on for some reason. Then a few seconds later it goes out. Dunno why.