Use this guide when a warning light comes on while you are driving or when you start the car. You need your car's handbook or its digital version, a safe place to pull over, and your breakdown cover details if you have them.
Step by step
Read the colour and decide how urgent it is
Most cars use a traffic-light system: red usually means stop as soon as it is safe, amber or yellow means get it checked soon, and green or blue are information only. A flashing warning is generally more urgent than a steady one. Red lights such as oil pressure, engine temperature, brake system or battery charging mean pull over safely and switch off. If you are on a motorway, leave at the next exit or use an emergency area rather than stopping on the hard shoulder unless you have no choice.
The rest of this guide is for members
The rest of this guide – the remaining steps, a ready-to-use checklist, practical tips and fixes for common problems – is for members. Membership unlocks every ABCDayZ guide.
£3.99 for 1 month or £29 for 12 months. One payment, no automatic renewal.
Unlock all guidesAlready a member on another device? Open your personal access link. Bought Programming with AI? Your first month is included.