Taking care of your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although conventional routine service is designed to keep your Chevrolet Sonic running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to look at your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has written this content page to help you in the event that you identify a burnt plastic smell originating from your Chevrolet Sonic . To help you check that it is nothing serious, first we will detail the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to locate the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Chevrolet Sonic? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Chevrolet Sonic
So we begin our article with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Chevrolet Sonic . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. Obviously, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a major breakdown. Below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the most important possible source 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 damaged, it as well has a second objective as a temperature regulator. However, in the long run, the oil will lose its efficiency 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 Chevrolet Sonic. 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 principally made of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate completely on its axis. With the friction that this will cause 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 Chevrolet Sonic.
- Faulty hose wear: This circumstance happens specifically on Chevrolet Sonic 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 presume will cause the plastic 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 possibly melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less common, specifically present on Chevrolet Sonic’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body 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 originates from on a Chevrolet Sonic?
And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you locate the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Chevrolet Sonic . 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 resolve your problem quickly. If your Chevrolet Sonic smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our content page on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be simpler, 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 replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content page to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Chevrolet Sonic.
- 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 check all your hoses to see if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, replace them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Chevrolet Sonic, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If you wish more tutorials on the Chevrolet Sonic, go to our Chevrolet Sonic category.
