Keeping an eye on your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Although classic maintenance is designed to keep your CUPRA FORMENTOR running smoothly with time, some unforeseen breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today 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 created this content to help you in case you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your CUPRA FORMENTOR . To help you check that it is nothing serious, first we will highlight the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to find the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your CUPRA FORMENTOR? .

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The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a CUPRA FORMENTOR

So we start our guideline with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a CUPRA FORMENTOR . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. In fact, modern cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical 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. In 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 also has a second function as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, over time, the oil will lose its efficiency 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 CUPRA FORMENTOR. 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 done of rubber, will degrade 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 generate a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your CUPRA FORMENTOR.
  • Defective hose wear: This case occurs especially on CUPRA FORMENTOR that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your vehicle contrary to what you might presume will bring about the plastic parts to wear out more 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 might melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less basic, especially present on CUPRA FORMENTOR’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body parts that might have been bent might rub against one of your wheels and give off that burnt plastic smell. This may also pre-wear out your tyres.

How to find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a CUPRA FORMENTOR?

And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you find the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your CUPRA FORMENTOR . 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 problem quickly. If your CUPRA FORMENTOR smells hot, don’t hesitate to read our content 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 find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a CUPRA FORMENTOR.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it might also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not hesitate to replace it.
  • Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually check all your hoses to find out if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, change them.
  • Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your CUPRA FORMENTOR, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

    To get more tips on the CUPRA FORMENTOR, take a look at the CUPRA FORMENTOR category.