Taking care of your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless standard routine service is supposed to keep your Fiat Grande Punto running smoothly with time, some unforeseen breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today we’re going to look at your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has written this content to help you in the event that you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your Fiat Grande Punto . To help you check that it is nothing severe, first we will highlight the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to find the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Fiat Grande Punto? .

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The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Fiat Grande Punto

So we start our content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Fiat Grande Punto . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good sign. Obviously, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical malfunction. Below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the main possible origin of such an odor. Obviously, the function of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different components of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not broken, it also has a second function as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, with time, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the auto parts and control the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Fiat Grande Punto. 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 deteriorate and no longer rotate entirely 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 block of your Fiat Grande Punto.
  • Faulty hose wear: This case arises especially on Fiat Grande Punto that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your car contrary to what you might presume will cause the plastic auto 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 possibly melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less common, especially present on Fiat Grande Punto’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto 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 find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Fiat Grande Punto?

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 Fiat Grande Punto . 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 Fiat Grande Punto smells hot, don’t hesitate 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 discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Fiat Grande Punto.
  • 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 hesitate to change it.
  • Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually check all your hoses to discover if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, change them.
  • Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Fiat Grande Punto, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

    Whenever you have any additional questions about the Fiat Grande Punto, do not hesitate to consult our Fiat Grande Punto category.