You should not wait to take your car to the garage when this orange light comes on on the dashboard.
With summer coming up, millions of motorists will soon be hitting the road for the big holiday departures in July and August. And like every year, some cars will break down on the side of a motorway, unable to cover several hundred kilometres on hot tarmac (at least in normal times…). If you don’t want to experience this kind of hassle, it is important to have your vehicle serviced regularly, especially before a long journey. The longer you put off going to the garage, the greater the risk of seeing your dashboard flashing like a Christmas garland somewhere between Paris and Marseille or between Lille and Biarritz.
It is on this screen located behind the steering wheel that the lights appear that are used to inform the driver of the operating status of the vehicle, to report anomalies and to provide safety alerts. There are more than ten of them displayed, sometimes slightly different depending on the manufacturer, and among them some are quite little known. This is for example the case of this orange light in the shape of a circle surrounded on each side by three small dashes. It can suddenly light up on the dashboard of your car. What does this mean?
This unusual little symbol is the trademark of the brake pad warning light. It lights up when the pads are worn and need to be changed. The pads come into contact with the brake discs every time the driver presses the brake pedal. The friction generated by the contact between the pads and the discs converts the kinetic energy of the vehicle into heat, slowing down the rotation of the wheels and, therefore, the vehicle. Some car manufacturers have placed sensors directly on the brakes to measure the thickness of the pads. And when there is less than 15% thickness left (between 12 and 18mm when they are new), the brake pad warning light comes on to warn the driver.
It is crucial to act quickly once the light comes on. Worn or faulty brake pads can significantly reduce braking efficiency, increasing stopping distances and therefore the risk of accidents. If your vehicle does not have a brake pad warning light, it is possible to detect their wear just by listening carefully. If you hear a whistling sound every time you press the brake pedal, it means that it is high time to change the pads. A mechanic will normally charge you between 100 and 200 euros to replace them with new ones. Safety, especially before hitting the road for several hours, comes at a price.