Dashboard lights can be a source of major frustration for car owners - both because it means something is wrong with your car - and because all too often, it isn't clear what that something is. Instead of taking the car into the service department, owners often ignore the warning light until a more obvious problem presents its self - a mistake that can prove costly.

Dashboard lights are your car's only mechanism for communicating with you, designed to make you aware of a problem before it becomes serious. Next time a dashboard light appears in your car, follow this guide of common dashboard lights to understand what your car is trying to tell you.