Keeping an eye on your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Although conventional maintenance is designed to keep your BMW 4 Series running smoothly over time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article we’re going to talk about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has created this article to help you in case you notice a burnt plastic smell caused by your BMW 4 Series . To help you verify that it is nothing significant, first we will highlight the different things that can create 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 4 Series? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a BMW 4 Series
So we begin our article content with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a BMW 4 Series . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. Obviously, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a important malfunction. Below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible source of such an odor. Obviously, the action 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 as well has a second action as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, as time passes, 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 BMW 4 Series. 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 made of rubber, will decline 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 unit block of your BMW 4 Series.
- Faulty hose wear: This case occurs especially on BMW 4 Series 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 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 may possibly melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, especially present on BMW 4 Series’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that may possibly have been bent may possibly 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 comes from on a BMW 4 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 4 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 fix your issue quickly. If your BMW 4 Series smells hot, don’t think twice to browse 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 see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our article to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a BMW 4 Series.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may possibly 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 verify all your hoses to see 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 BMW 4 Series, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If you need more guides on the BMW 4 Series, go to our BMW 4 Series category.
