Dash light philosophy at 2am, flatbed driver had a wild take

Last week I'm towing a dead F-150 off I-35 near Round Rock and the driver helping me strap it down starts talking about how he never fixes dash lights on his own rig. Said a check engine light is just a suggestion, but a low fuel light means you messed up somewhere earlier. Got me thinking about how we treat warnings on modern cars versus older stuff. Half my customers panic at any illuminated bulb, the other half ignore a flashing coolant temp until it's too late. Is there a middle ground or are we just training people to fear every sensor? I lean toward fixing things early, but he made a point about chasing codes that don't mean anything on a 250k mile beater. Any of you guys draw a hard line on which lights you actually respect? What about a TPMS light that's been on for two winters, do you call that routine or neglect?