It's 2022 and neither of my vehicles even have real gauges. On both, the whole instrument cluster is just a flatscreen TV with gauge animations. I can customize them, configure my instrument display (more or less) how I like it. Very cool. So why the hell is my check engine light still just a light (cluster of pixels)? Why do I have to purchase some 3rd party device of empirically discovered compatibility and connect it to a hidden port in an inconvenient location to (hopefully) find out why the light is on? It would require an infinitesimal amount of effort on the part of the manufacturer to add a little text label under the MIL icon to display the 5-character code(s). If they wanted to take it a tiny step further there could be a scrolling text description of the code along the bottom or top of the screen. And if they wanted to really go wild, they could add an feature to display (on the radio, or the dash) what the code means and its severity: ["Engine oil dangerously low - Pull over and shut off engine to prevent catastrophic damage."] Vs. ["Evaporative emissions B.S. - your wife may have overfilled the gas tank and saturated the charcoal canister again, but probably your gas cap is just loose. Check it next time you get a chance."]
Except, it wouldn't give you that first warning, would it? Not unless you were driving a Mercedes or some other luxury vehicle that has an oil level sensor. And why on earth doesn't every vehicle manufactured today come with an oil level sensor? Honestly! My Lawnmower has one! My 2021 truck however, wouldn't know it was low on oil until the level dropped so far that there's nothing left to pump, so oil pressure drops. At that point the poor engine would have already been starved of lubricant and likely suffered damage.
Except, it wouldn't give you that first warning, would it? Not unless you were driving a Mercedes or some other luxury vehicle that has an oil level sensor. And why on earth doesn't every vehicle manufactured today come with an oil level sensor? Honestly! My Lawnmower has one! My 2021 truck however, wouldn't know it was low on oil until the level dropped so far that there's nothing left to pump, so oil pressure drops. At that point the poor engine would have already been starved of lubricant and likely suffered damage.