As you drive through your way, you may notice a yellow or green warning light with a wrench with the open portion pointing upward or a car symbol with a wrench symbol on dashboard vertically in the center. What exactly does this symbol on dashboard mean?
Both of these symbols indicate that your vehicle needs service. Usually, it’s because a time-based milestone was missed or a problem with the car that requires professional attention.
Table of Contents
What Does Wrench Symbol On Dashboard Mean?
A wrench light on your car is part of your vehicle’s maintenance monitor, which helps you keep track of your vehicle’s maintenance requirements. If you see this Mazda wrench light on your dashboard, it means you’ve reached your Mazda maintenance period or it’s time to change your vehicle’s engine oil.
A good rule of thumb is to not go more than 7,500 miles or 12 months (whichever comes first) without changing the oil in your car. When the wrench light illuminates, it indicates it is time to schedule your next service. This primarily serves as a warning or a reminder to make the appointment as soon as possible.
A routine 5,000-7,500 mile service, for example, includes an engine oil and filter change, tire rotation, multi-point inspection, and an inspection and adjustment of all fluids. Service requirements for various makes and models may differ.
According to some sources, there may be sensor conditions that are out of spec but not “bad enough” to trigger a check engine warning that causes this light to illuminate. I’m skeptical, but, once again, there’s little harm in resetting the light — if there’s such a condition, it’ll turn back on soon.
1. How Do I Turn Off My Required Maintenance Light?
You may want to turn off your own maintenance-required light at some point. This is most likely if the technician forgot to reset the light when they performed the service or if you performed your own service on your vehicle. The reset procedure is fairly simple.
To reset the maintenance required light on most vehicles, follow this procedure.
- Turn the ignition switch to ON.
- Change the Odometer/Trip Display mode to ODO.
- Depress the ignition switch to turn it off.
- Press and HOLD the Trip Meter RESET button while turning on the ignition switch.
- The required maintenance light will:
- Keep the light on for three seconds.
- For two seconds, blink
- Press and hold the Trip Meter RESET button.
- Remove the key from the ignition and turn it off.
- Turn on the ignition and check that the maintenance-required light is turned off.
2. “Check Engine” vs. “Maintenance Required”
The “required maintenance” light should not be confused with the “check engine” light. The image at the top of this article depicts a standard “wrench symbol on dashboard ” light, while the images below depict standard “check engine” lights.
The “check engine” light is a far more serious warning than the maintenance light. The “check engine” light does not illuminate at predetermined intervals like the maintenance light; it will illuminate only if your engine or vehicle is experiencing a serious problem. If your “check engine” light comes on, take your vehicle to a mechanic right away for an inspection. The mechanic should be able to plug in a reader to determine why the light has turned on.
3. What Is the Purpose of Resetting the Maintenance Light?
The Toyota maintenance light does not go away on its own, so you should turn it off manually to have one less distraction in your dashboard.
As you drive around town, this light can become annoying and even make you believe something is wrong with your car. Similarly, if someone in your family drives your Toyota and is unfamiliar with the meaning of this light, he or she may become concerned and believe the vehicle is damaged.
Second, after changing the oil, resetting the maintenance required light restarts the counter. As a result, you can drive safely on roads, and this light will automatically remind you after 5,000 miles. You won’t have to manually count the miles when it’s time for a new oil change.
4. When Should You Visit A Mechanic?
If the maintenance required light on your vehicle is illuminated, you do not have to take it to a mechanic. The maintenance required light serves only as a reminder to perform routine maintenance. If you change the oil and filter in your vehicle according to the owner’s manual, you shouldn’t be concerned if this indicator light illuminates the wrench symbol on dashboard
When the CEL illuminates, however, you should most likely take your vehicle to a mechanic. However, if you have an OBD scanning tool, you can conduct your investigation to determine what caused the CEL. The fault code or codes that caused the CEL to illuminate will be returned by an OBD scanning tool. It will not always tell you what’s wrong with your vehicle. Regardless, knowing
5. How Much Does It Cost To Fix Wrench Symbol On Dashboard?
In some states, they will clear/reset the codes for you too – but if the issue is something wrong, it will trip again. You can buy your own scan tool for $30~$100 USD.
Conclusion
Was the light on when you changed the oil, and if so, did you reset it — that is, are you certain it never went off? If not, consult your owner’s manual or the internet for the proper procedure to reset the light on your car, and it should stay off until the next oil change. If the light was not on when the oil was changed, it most likely hit the mark shortly afterward.