Taking care of your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional routine service is designed to keep your Citroen C6 running smoothly with time, some unpredicted 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 article to help you in case you identify a burnt plastic smell caused by your Citroen C6 . To help you check that it is nothing significant, first we will outline the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to discover the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Citroen C6? .

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The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Citroen C6

So we begin our content page with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Citroen C6 . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. Indeed, modern cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant breakdown. Below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the main possible source 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. However, with time, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the parts and control the temperature as well, which will bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Citroen C6. 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 made of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate completely 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 block of your Citroen C6.
  • Defective hose wear: This case happens especially on Citroen C6 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 believe will bring about 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 may possibly melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less basic, especially present on Citroen C6’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 also pre-wear out your tyres.

How to identify where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Citroen C6?

And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you discover the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Citroen C6 . 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 Citroen C6 smells hot, don’t think twice to read our article 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 consult our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Citroen C6.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it may possibly also make a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. 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 case, replace them.
  • Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Citroen C6, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

    If you need more guides on the Citroen C6, go to our Citroen C6 category.