Taking care of your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Although standard routine service is designed to keep your Bmw X2 running smoothly over time, some unpredicted 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 written this content page to help you in the event you identify a burnt plastic smell coming from your Bmw X2 . To help you verify that it is nothing serious, first we will outline the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to locate the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Bmw X2? .

smell-burnt-plastic-bmw-x2

The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Bmw X2

So we start our article content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Bmw X2 . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. Indeed, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a major malfunction. Down below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the most important possible origin of such an odor. Indeed, 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 broken, it as well has a second function 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 bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Bmw X2. 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 deteriorate and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will bring about the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Bmw X2.
  • Faulty hose wear: This case happens especially on Bmw X2 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 believe will bring about 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 may melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less common, especially present on Bmw X2’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that may have been bent may rub against one of your wheels and give off that burnt plastic smell. This may as well pre-wear out your tyres.

How to identify where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Bmw X2?

And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you locate the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Bmw X2 . 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 problem quickly. If your Bmw X2 smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our content page 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 replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content page to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Bmw X2.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may 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, replace them.
  • Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Bmw X2, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

    If you need more guides on the Bmw X2, go to our Bmw X2 category.