• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
80% of motorists don't know what dashboard symbol that 'looks like a boat' means

Home> News

Published 17:21 31 Dec 2024 GMT

80% of motorists don't know what dashboard symbol that 'looks like a boat' means

This dashboard light has so many people confused on social media

Britt Jones

Britt Jones

The thing about driving is that there are a range of things you need to be aware of and know what they mean, but there’s 80 per cent of you out there that haven’t a clue what a symbol on your dashboard means.

That’s not a great start, is it?

To be honest, there are so many symbols on your dash that it’s hard to know which is which, especially if they rarely flash up with an issue.

But you do need to attempt to know what they mean as if it turns out to be an important issue that needs immediately resolving, then it’s down to you to have it fixed before it writes off your poor car.

Advert

Hint: It's not one of these (Getty Stock Images)
Hint: It's not one of these (Getty Stock Images)

If your car suddenly flashes this little symbol that looks like a boat without warning, you’ll know exactly what you need to do once reading this article.

You’ve got your obvious ones that you know about, such as the low fuel symbol, but this one is causing a massive headache for drivers everywhere.

On X, users were trying to figure out what it means, and while most people were making jokes about it, some were actually helpful.

A user posted an image of her dashboard with one flashing symbol circled.

Advert

She wrote: “What this light mean?”

Then, someone else retweeted it saying, “Looks like a boat. Probably smooth sailing or something,” and the hilarity ensued.

One person wrote: “That’s the ‘pirates approaching’ warning. better start paddling.”

You'll end up with your car in ruins if you ignore it (Getty Stock Images)
You'll end up with your car in ruins if you ignore it (Getty Stock Images)

Another said: “idk what does that mean either.”

Advert

The real answer?

A commenter clarified: "It means your car's engine hasn't warmed up to the normal temperature. When it does, that light will turn off. I only know this because I had to look it up for a rental car about 2 months ago.”

Nope, he’s actually wrong too.

It’s the engine cooling warning light and it’s not a boat, it’s a thermometer with wavy lines at the bottom.

According to a survey by ATS Euromaster, 80 per cent of drivers didn't know what it meant.

Advert

Essentially, it means that the engine temperature is getting too high, and your car is running low on engine coolant.

If you don’t fix it, your engine could overheat, and you might need to fork out thousands on a new engine.

If this comes on and you’ve no idea what to do, try this: according to Eden Motor Group: “If the light is red, you should pull over as soon as it is safe to do so and switch off the engine.

“If the coolant level is low or there is another problem with your cooling system, you could cause serious damage by continuing to drive. Then you can do some basic checks yourself or call for help.”

Advert

To figure out why it’s started flashing, you need to think about several factors that could be at play.

The Group says: “The most likely is either a loss of coolant or a fault with the sensor.”

According to the specialists: “A coolant loss could be caused by a leak somewhere in the system, such as a split hose or a hole in the radiator. You might be able to see, hear of even smell this when you open the bonnet.”

But, if you can’t see a leak, ‘have a look at the coolant tank’ and if you check the ‘maximum and minimum markings on the side’, you’ll know if you have enough in the tank.

You're welcome.

Featured Image Credit: Getty / Volkswagen

Topics: Cars, Driving, Twitter, Education, Social Media, Community

Britt Jones
Britt Jones

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

8 hours ago
  • 8 hours ago

    Man who killed twisted murderer Jeffrey Dahmer explains why he did it

    The notorious serial killer was killed in 1994

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Elon Musk forms his 'own political party' after fallout with Trump

    Looks like the tech billionaire isn't done with politics after all

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Woman who lives in underground bunker with no windows reveals how much she saves on rent

    At least she's ready for the apocalypse

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Man who chose to live underwater for 100 days to see what would happen to his body reveals shocking impact it had

    Dr Joseph Dituri spent 100 days at sea in 2023

    News
  • What is deadly 'Run It Straight' trend that has already claimed life of 19-year-old
  • 'Millions of women' are into bedroom kink that most men don't even know about
  • Learner’s driving fault called a ‘serious mistake’ but not everyone is convinced
  • ‘Tiger Woods of poker’ explains what he thinks happened in alleged poker cheating moment