Taking care of your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Although classic maintenance is designed to keep your Citroen Ds3 running smoothly over time, some unforeseen 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 made this article to help you in the event you notice a burnt plastic smell caused by your Citroen Ds3 . To help you check that it is nothing significant, first we will outline the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to locate the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Citroen Ds3? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Citroen Ds3
So we begin our content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Citroen Ds3 . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. In actual fact, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a major breakdown. Below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible origin of such an odor. In actual fact, the function of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different elements of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not damaged, it as well has a second function as a temperature regulator. However, over time, 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 Citroen Ds3. 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 decline 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 generate a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Citroen Ds3.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance arises specifically on Citroen Ds3 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 believe 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 melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less general, specifically present on Citroen Ds3’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 as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to identify where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Citroen Ds3?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you locate the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Citroen Ds3 . 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 solve your issue quickly. If your Citroen Ds3 smells hot, don’t think twice to go through our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be easier, 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 seek advice from our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Citroen Ds3.
- 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 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, replace them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Citroen Ds3, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If perhaps you have any further questions about the Citroen Ds3, do not hesitate to consult our Citroen Ds3 category.
