Taking care of your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Although conventional routine service is designed to keep your Audi Tt running smoothly over time, some unexpected 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 breakdown, that’s why our team has made this content page to help you in the event that you identify a burnt plastic smell caused by your Audi Tt . To help you check that it is nothing severe, 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 find the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Audi Tt? .

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The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Audi Tt

So we start our article with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Audi Tt . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. Obviously, modern cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical breakdown. Down below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the main possible origin 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. However, as time passes, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the auto parts and control the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Audi Tt. 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 mainly done of rubber, will deteriorate and no longer rotate totally 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 unit block of your Audi Tt.
  • Defective hose wear: This case occurs especially on Audi Tt that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your vehicle contrary to what you might think will trigger the plastic auto parts to wear out more 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 might melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less common, especially present on Audi Tt’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 identify where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Audi Tt?

And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you find the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Audi Tt . Now that you know the different possible roots of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to eliminate the tracks that don’t concern you and resolve your issue quickly. If your Audi Tt smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our content page on this topic.

  • Transmission oil: Nothing could be easier, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and check that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to consult our content page to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Audi Tt.
  • 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 think twice to replace it.
  • Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually check all your hoses to find out if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, 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 Tt, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

    To get more tips on the Audi Tt, take a look at the Audi Tt category.