I just recently bought a 96 civic dx that runs really well. But noticed theres a piece small piece of tape under the temp gauge. Covering an indicator. So wanted to know what it is..before i take it out.

 

Picture?

 

You must create a thread title that summarizes the tech problem/question. Title edited.

 

That's the SRS light. Better remove the tape and see if it's on.

 

Oooooh snap! Did you buy from a dealership? Man, I don't ever go to dealerships. They are always trying to rip you off.

 

Yeahhhh ... you might have a problem, covered up (literally, and figuratively) by the PO.

 

This worries me. Ill check it out sometime today.

So if the light is on...roughly how much am i gona spend on this?

 

Not trying to be offensive, but this^ is a naive question as you don't know what the problem is or whether there is a problem.

Remove the tape to see whether the SRS light works and stays on while driving. If the light stays on, it indicates a problem with the airbag system. Then retrieve the SRS code, which will help to diagnose the problem.

 

Often if the SRS light is on, that can indicate the car has been in an incident where the airbags have deployed. Chopshops, car insurance flippers, and dealerships will try to cover up the fact the car was in an accident. But sometimes there can be other faults too, even though I can't think of any. Lets just hope the car still has airbags at all...

I second the notion of first removing the tape to see what is going on there. Airbags do have required inspection every 8 years I think.

 

Varies by state, as with all inspection laws.

 

My SRS light is on as well but the guy I bought it from didn't try to hide it lol.

Going to see if it's worth it to fix it. If not, just gives me all the more reason to upgrade the steering wheel.

 

I prefer a car without airbags, with a solid cabin and seatbelt. Even in minor crashes where an airbag is not necessary, it will cause injury. It can break arms, damage eye sight, chemical burns, etc. Sure, airbags save lives of fools who don't buckle up... but I always where a seatbelt, even if I drive less than 1 minute trip time.

 

So i took the piece of tape off. And my SRS light is on.
That probably explains my hood. Although the paint matches the car underneath its black.

So ill bring it in to a shop to see whats going on.

 

Click the codes link in my signature. It's easy to pull SRS codes yourself. Then reset the SRS computer to see whether the code(s) return.