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.

Nissan

The Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer, established over 85 years ago, in 1933.

Currently, they operate as part of the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, incorporating two other industry giants under their umbrella operation.

How popular is Nissan in the United Kingdom?

Nissan has always been a popular household name, and recently a bestseller to boot, with around 1.7million vehicles on the UK roads today.

Their introduction to the SUV market happened in 2007 with the Qashqai, and in 2018 it was announced as the 4th best-selling car in the UK.

Stylish well-priced cars for the road, off-road and the track

Nissan’s various sized and styled SUVs are well priced with something for both urban and adventure seeking drivers. The British built Nissan Qashqai has made great waves since its introduction and its smaller compact crossover cousin, the Nissan Juke, isn’t going to be too far behind for long.

Nissan’s latest electric models

The Nissan Leaf is an all-electric compact hatchback that is leading the way in this fast-growing and competitive market. It became the world’s best selling electric car in 2014, holding 45% of the all-electric car market.

Nissan’s second zero emissions vehicle is the E-NV200 Combi, a 5- or 7-seater MPV utilising the same technologies as the ground- and record-breaking Leaf.

The Nissan GT-R: true track performance

With increased torque and horsepower, the latest GT-R delivers up to 3.8-litres of twin-turbo V6 performance, an incredibly clean drag coefficient providing more consistent downforce, and utilising Nissan’s Vehicle Dynamic Control to consistently monitor steering and braking, this Nissan technology automatically makes compensations to oversteer, understeer, engine speed and braking to provide maximum performance with minimum effort.

And if you can’t quite stretch to the £80k+ price tag for your performance sports car, then the Nissan 370Z could be a more affordable option starting at the lower base price of £29k.

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.