Q: How do I get the maintenance required light to stop blinking and my temperature gauge to be normal?
When I first start my car, the light under the temperature gauge- which reads "maintenance required"- blinks for around 30 seconds. The temperature gauge stays on cold until I start driving or my car has been started for a few minutes. I do not recall the gauge doing this before, I believe as soon as I started my car it went to the middle. This started about 2 weeks ago. Nothing feels different and it doesn't seem to be doing any major harm to my car for the mean time. How do I fix this? Is it serious?
My car has 117000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Recommended Services
| Change Oil and Filter | $103.58 - $181.08 | Get a Quote |
Hi there, thanks for writing in. The Toyota maintenance light is a reminder to get your oil changed. This light comes on periodically and needs to be reset with every oil change. As for the temperature gauge this is normal. The engine is cold when it is first started so it reads like this and as it runs it warms up and the gauge starts moving. This is normal. I would just have your oil change done when you get a chance. If you want to have your oil changed, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to do this.
Get an instant quote for your car
Our certified mechanics come to you ・Backed by 12-month, 12,000-mile guarantee・Fair and transparent pricing