Taking care of your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless classic maintenance is designed to keep your Audi S4 running smoothly over time, some unforeseen breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today we’re going to speak about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has written this article to help you in case you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your Audi S4 . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, first we will highlight the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to discover the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Audi S4? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Audi S4
So we commence our article content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Audi S4 . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. Obviously, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant malfunction. Down below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the most important possible source of such an odor. Obviously, 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 broken, it also has a second objective as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, over time, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the auto 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 S4. You risk pre-wearing your gearbox if you don’t take care of it.
- The accessory belt: Nevertheless rarer, it is possible with wear and tear that your belt, which is principally made of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate completely on its axis. With the friction that this will trigger 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 S4.
- Faulty hose wear: This circumstance occurs especially on Audi S4 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your car unlike what you might presume will trigger the plastic auto parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be suffering from this phenomenon. The rubber will disintegrate little by little and with the rise in heat of the fluid that circulates in it, it might melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less common, especially present on Audi S4’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that might have been bent might rub against one of your wheels and give off that burnt plastic smell. This may also pre-wear out your tyres.
How to find out where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Audi S4?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you discover the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Audi S4 . Now that you know the different possible roots 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 S4 smells hot, don’t hesitate to read our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, 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 change it. Do not hesitate to consult our article to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Audi S4.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it might 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 verify 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 trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Audi S4, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If you have any further questions about the Audi S4, do not hesitate to consult our Audi S4 category.
