Keeping an eye on your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless classic maintenance is designed to keep your Chevrolet Cruze running smoothly over time, some unpredicted 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 made this content to help you in the event that you identify a burnt plastic smell originating from your Chevrolet Cruze . To help you check 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 discover the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Chevrolet Cruze? .

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The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Chevrolet Cruze

So we start our content page with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Chevrolet Cruze . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. Indeed, modern cars 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 origin of such an odor. Indeed, the objective of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different elements of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not broken, it also has a second objective as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, in the long run, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Chevrolet Cruze. 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 done of rubber, will deteriorate and no longer rotate entirely 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 Chevrolet Cruze.
  • Defective hose wear: This circumstance occurs specifically on Chevrolet Cruze that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your car unlike what you might presume will trigger the plastic parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be affected 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 melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less common, specifically present on Chevrolet Cruze’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body parts that may have been bent may 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 comes from on a Chevrolet Cruze?

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

  • Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and check 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 think twice to consult our content to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Chevrolet Cruze.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it may 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 check all your hoses to see if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, change them.
  • Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Chevrolet Cruze, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

    If perhaps you have any additional questions about the Chevrolet Cruze, do not hesitate to consult our Chevrolet Cruze category.