Taking care of your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Although conventional maintenance is supposed to keep your Audi A4 running smoothly over time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to focus on your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has written this content to help you in case you identify a burnt plastic smell coming from your Audi A4 . To help you verify that it is nothing significant, first we will outline the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to find the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Audi A4? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Audi A4
So we start our article content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Audi A4 . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. Obviously, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant breakdown. Below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible origin of such an odor. Obviously, the function 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 also has a second function as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, as time passes, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Audi A4. 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 decline and no longer rotate entirely on its axis. With the friction that this will trigger the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will generate a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Audi A4.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance happens specifically on Audi A4 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your vehicle unlike what you might believe will trigger the plastic parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be troubled 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 possibly melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less general, specifically present on Audi A4’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body parts that may possibly have been bent may possibly rub against one of your wheels and give off that burnt plastic smell. This may also pre-wear out your tyres.
How to identify where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Audi A4?
And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you find the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Audi A4 . 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 problem quickly. If your Audi A4 smells hot, don’t think twice to read our content on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be simpler, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and verify that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Audi A4.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may possibly also make a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not think twice to replace it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify all your hoses to see if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, replace them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Audi A4, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If perhaps you have any further questions about the Audi A4, do not hesitate to consult our Audi A4 category.
