A warning light came on in your rental car: what it means

A light has just come on: what should I do?

Don't panic and don't brake hard. Keep driving steadily until you can stop somewhere safe and legal: a side street, a car park or a service station, not a motorway shoulder unless the car is losing power. Then:

1. Photograph the dashboard with the engine running, so the photo shows the light, the odometer, the fuel gauge and the temperature gauge if the car has one.
2. Note whether the light is steady or flashing, and what colour it is.
3. Note anything else: steam or smoke, a hot or burning smell, a new noise, a vibration, a soft brake pedal, heavy steering, or the car going into a low-power mode.
4. Look up the symbol in the owner's manual if it's in the glovebox. It will tell you what the manufacturer means by it, which helps when you call.
5. Call us on 0414 427 760 before you drive any further.

Clause 7.1 of our terms says you must stop and tell us if a warning light appears. It doesn't distinguish between colours, and nor should you: the call takes a few minutes, and we can tell you whether it's safe to carry on. Rentzy cars don't include roadside assistance yet (RACQ cover is planned). If the car breaks down, get somewhere safe and call Rentzy on 0414 427 760: don't arrange repairs or a tow yourself without our OK.

Which warning lights mean a safety fault?

Queensland's Light Vehicle Inspection Manual, the checklist used for safety certificates, gives a useful guide to the lights that matter most. A car is rejected if any safety system warning light, symbol or audible warning is displayed or sounding.^[1] The manual defines that as a warning fitted by the manufacturer that indicates a fault in a safety system such as ABS, ESC (stability control), AEB (automatic emergency braking) or another vehicle or occupant protection system.^[1]

The manual also lists an emission control warning light, or other indication of an emission control fault shown to the driver, as a reason for rejection.^[1] That's the engine-shaped light on most cars.

What about oil, temperature and battery lights?

These are the lights to act on fastest. Each is about the engine itself, and the safe choice is the same: stop, switch off and call.

• Oil pressure: pull over and switch off as soon as it's safe. Don't restart the engine to see whether the light goes away.
• Engine temperature or coolant: pull over, switch off and leave the bonnet and the cooling system alone until we've spoken. Tell us what the gauge showed and whether you saw steam.
• Battery or charging: get to a safe place while the car still drives, switch off what you don't need, such as phone chargers, and call us from there.

If you're about to set off on a long drive, the Queensland Government's pre-trip list is worth running through: tyres in good condition and at the right pressure, fluid levels (brake, coolant, oil and others), lights, wipers, coolant hoses that don't leak, the fan belt and the battery.^[2] Our terms ask you to check oil, water and tyre pressures on long trips. Long, hot days in traffic are hard on cooling systems, which is covered in driving in Brisbane's summer heat.

Which lights are just reminders?

Plenty of symbols are telling you about something you can fix in a moment. Check these before you call:

• Low fuel: fill up at the next service station. Check the fuel type on the filler flap or in the manual first; see put the wrong fuel in a rental car.
• Door, boot or bonnet open: stop and close it properly.
• Seatbelt: someone isn't buckled in, or a bag on the passenger seat is heavy enough to set the sensor off.
• Parking brake: release it fully.
• Washer fluid: the bottle is low. Tell us and we'll top it up, or ask whether you can.

If the light stays on after you've dealt with the obvious cause, treat it as a fault and call us.

The tyre pressure light is on

Many newer cars warn when a tyre loses pressure. Stop somewhere safe and look at all four tyres. A tyre that is visibly low, or a light that came on suddenly at speed, may be a puncture: treat it as one, and follow breakdown, flat tyre or warning light.

If the tyres look fine, the light may have come on after a big change in temperature or load. Call us anyway: we can tell you the right pressures for the car and where to check them, and whether the light needs resetting.

Who pays to fix a fault in a rental car?

Under clause 8.1, Rentzy maintains the car; you make it available for scheduled servicing on reasonable notice, and we try to provide a replacement where practical. Clause 8.2 says not to arrange repairs without our consent, but minor costs we approve are reimbursed when you show the receipt.

Clause 13.1 says nothing in our terms takes away your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. Where it can go wrong for a renter is ignoring the light: clause 9.3 lifts the excess limit where loss arises from failing to report an incident or from a breach of the use rules. Stopping and telling us is the safe course on both counts.

A light at pickup is a different matter: tell us before you drive away. Most cars light up several symbols for a second or two when you start them, then turn them off; anything still on after that is worth asking about. Our pickup checklist covers the rest of the handover, and the same goes for a lost key or a key that stops working.