Taking care of your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Although standard maintenance is supposed to keep your Audi A3 running smoothly with time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today we’re going to talk about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has written this content page to help you in the event you detect a burnt plastic smell originating from your Audi A3 . To help you check that it is nothing serious, first we will highlight the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to locate the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Audi A3? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Audi A3
So we commence our article with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Audi A3 . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. In actual fact, modern vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a major breakdown. Down below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the most important possible source of such an odor. In actual fact, the objective of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different components of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not damaged, it as well has a second objective as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, in the long run, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the auto parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Audi A3. You risk pre-wearing your gearbox if you don’t take care of it.
- The accessory belt: Although rarer, it is possible with wear and tear that your belt, which is specifically made of rubber, will deteriorate and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will cause the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Audi A3.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance arises especially on Audi A3 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your vehicle unlike what you might believe will cause the plastic auto parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be impacted by this phenomenon. The rubber will disintegrate little by little and with the rise in heat of the fluid that circulates in it, it may melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, especially present on Audi A3’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that may have been bent may rub against one of your wheels and give off that burnt plastic smell. This may as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Audi A3?
And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you locate the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Audi A3 . Now that you know the different possible origins of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to get rid of the tracks that don’t concern you and solve your issue quickly. If your Audi A3 smells hot, don’t hesitate to browse our content page on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be simpler, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and check that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our content page to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Audi A3.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not hesitate to change it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually check all your hoses to see if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, change them.
- Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Audi A3, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If perhaps you have any further questions about the Audi A3, do not hesitate to consult our Audi A3 category.
