Keeping an eye on your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional routine service is designed to keep your Bmw 1 series running smoothly over time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article 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 made this article to help you in the event you identify a burnt plastic smell coming from your Bmw 1 series . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, first we will highlight the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to locate the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Bmw 1 series? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Bmw 1 series
So we start our content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Bmw 1 series . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. In actual fact, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical malfunction. 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 action of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different elements of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not damaged, it also has a second action as a temperature regulator. However, over time, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Bmw 1 series. 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 mainly made of rubber, will decline 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 generate a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Bmw 1 series.
- Faulty hose wear: This case occurs especially on Bmw 1 series that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your car contrary to what you might think will cause the plastic 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 issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, especially present on Bmw 1 series’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body 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 Bmw 1 series?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you locate the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Bmw 1 series . 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 resolve your problem quickly. If your Bmw 1 series smells hot, don’t think twice to go through our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be easier, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and verify that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not think twice to consult our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Bmw 1 series.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it might also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. Do not think twice to change it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify all your hoses to discover if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, replace them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Bmw 1 series, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If perhaps you have any additional questions about the Bmw 1 series, do not hesitate to consult our Bmw 1 series category.
