Indicator system for vehicle wear components

An illumination apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

• a wear component comprising a plurality of layers configured to be disposed in an engine compartment, the layers comprising a photoluminescent portion and a cover layer configured to erode from an exterior surface of the wear component as a result of usage, wherein the cover layer is configured to suppress an illumination response to an excitation emission comprising a first wavelength of light, the cover layer disposed over the photoluminescent portion, wherein the cover layer encloses the photoluminescent portion and is configured to occlude the photoluminescent portion from the excitation emission;
• and
• a light source configured to be located in the engine compartment, the light source configured to emit the excitation emission configured to illuminate an exposed surface of the photoluminescent portion resulting from the erosion of the cover layer, wherein the exposed surface of the photoluminescent portion is configured to generate an output emission having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength.