What does an instrument panel bulb do?

A car’s instrument panel, or dashboard, is usually located directly in front of the driver, behind the steering wheel. It displays important information about the performance of your car, such as the speedometer, fuel gauge, warning lights and your indicator lights. The instrument panel is usually backlit so requires a bulb to be fitted behind it.

It is essential that this instrument panel is working properly at all times as it provides important information to the driver about the performance and operation of the car. The bulb must be working properly to ensure the driver can view this information at night.

Mini

Mini is a British automotive marque that has been owned by the German multinational vehicle manufacturer BMW since 2000.

The Mini brand was originally introduced in 1969 when the vehicle model became a marque in its own right, breaking away from the Austin and Morris brands under the British Leyland umbrella.

How popular is Mini in the United Kingdom?

The Mini Hatch was the 7th best selling car of 2018 in the UK. Mini is a consistent favourite among buyers with a leaning for British cultural icons and retro styling.

There are around 750k Mini cars on the roads, showing that the brand is still as popular as ever due to their compact sizing, attractive styling and its reputation as a classy and classic small car.

Mini: a premium product of British motoring

With its unique and unmistakable styling, Mini is firmly placed as a premium product. Its ownership by BMW has added advantages in production, by being able to lean on the executive luxury German marque for many of the advanced technological systems and specialist industry knowledge used in their manufacture.

A piece of British culture and a Hollywood star

Enhancing its popularity as a household name, the original British Mini became a star of the silver screen when it appeared predominantly in the gold-heist movie ‘The Italian Job’ in 1969, starring Michael Caine and Noel Coward. With a remake hitting the screens in 2003, the new Mini was called on to star once again, and a selection of Mini hatch models continued the tradition by featuring in the film.

Mini: a new competitor to the most popular 3-door hatchbacks

Despite its small footprint, the Mini hatch is providing real competition to the Audi A1 and VW Polo due to its premium quality build. And with the weight of BMW behind them, it’s easy to see why.

How often should an instrument panel bulb need replacing?

Vehicle dashboard lights help monitor the various gauges in a car. Broken instrument panel lights can leave you clueless as to whether your car is experiencing engine problems, such as running low on fuel, overheating or ABS failure, often until it is too late. Having these lights working is especially vital when driving at night. Therefore it’s important that all bulbs are in full working order so you can stay aware and safe on the roads.

The law, vehicle regulations and your MOT

During an MOT, the mechanic will check that the instruments on your vehicle’s dashboard are illuminated sufficiently. If these components, such as the fuel gauge and speedometer, are not sufficiently illuminated that will lead to a minor, however if the instruments are not illuminated at all this will most likely lead to your car failing the MOT.

What happens when we do an instrument panel bulb replacement on your car?

Our certified mechanics will:

• Remove the instrument panel front

• Check all fuses and bulbs connected to the instrument panel

• Replace any faulty fuses or bulbs

• Refit the instrument panel front and test the lights are working

What causes an instrument panel bulb to break?

Like many other car parts over time faults can occur, and occasionally the instrument panel bulbs can break or blow. Additionally, bulbs can stop working due to electrical faults or if a fuse has blown. Because the instrument panel displays important information about the running of your vehicle it’s important to fix any bulbs when they stop working.

What are the signs of a bad instrument panel bulb?

Usually, there a few signs you can look for:

• Your car dashboard isn’t lit

• Dashboard warning lights are flickering or not displaying

• Your indicator dashboard lights aren't flashing

How often should you replace your instrument panel bulb?

Instrument panel bulbs shouldn’t need to be replaced regularly, however like most car parts they can become faulty over time. Broken or faulty bulbs will make it very difficult to observe aspects of your car’s performance as you’re driving and may prevent dashboard warning lights from displaying. This could mean that serious (and potentially dangerous) faults could go undetected, leading to costly repairs down the line.

What happens during an instrument panel bulb replacement?

During the repair our certified mechanics will:

• Remove the instrument panel front

• Check all fuses and bulbs connected to the instrument panel

• Replace any faulty fuses or bulbs

• Refit the instrument panel front and test the lights are working

Can you drive with a broken instrument panel bulb?

Vehicle dashboard lights help monitor the various gauges in a car. Broken instrument panel lights can leave you clueless as to whether your car is experiencing engine problems, such as running low on fuel, overheating or ABS failure, often until it is too late. Having these lights working is especially vital when driving at night. Therefore it’s important that all bulbs are in full working order so you can stay aware and safe on the roads.