Taking care of your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Although standard maintenance is supposed to keep your Fiat Idea running smoothly over time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to talk about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has made this content page to help you in case you detect a burnt plastic smell caused by your Fiat Idea . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, 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 find the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Fiat Idea? .

smell-burnt-plastic-fiat-idea

The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Fiat Idea

So we commence our guideline with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Fiat Idea . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. In actual fact, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical malfunction. Down below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the most important possible origin of such an odor. In actual fact, 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 damaged, it also has a second objective as a temperature regulator. However, as time passes, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the parts and control the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Fiat Idea. 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 trigger the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Fiat Idea.
  • Defective hose wear: This case arises especially on Fiat Idea 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 trigger 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 might melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less common, especially present on Fiat Idea’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 identify where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Fiat Idea?

And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you find the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Fiat Idea . Now that you know the different possible origins of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to get rid of the tracks that don’t concern you and fix your issue quickly. If your Fiat Idea smells hot, don’t think twice to go through our content page on this topic.

  • Transmission oil: Nothing could be easier, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and verify that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not think twice to consult our content page to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Fiat Idea.
  • 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 think twice to change it.
  • Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify 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 trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Fiat Idea, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

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