Keeping an eye on your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Although conventional maintenance is designed to keep your Fiat Panda 2 running smoothly over time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article we’re going to focus on your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has written this content page to help you in the event that you detect a burnt plastic smell originating from your Fiat Panda 2 . To help you verify that it is nothing serious, first we will detail the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to discover the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Fiat Panda 2? .

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The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Fiat Panda 2

So we start our content page with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Fiat Panda 2 . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. Obviously, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical malfunction. Below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the main possible origin of such an odor. Obviously, the action 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 action as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, over time, the oil will lose its effectiveness 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 Fiat Panda 2. 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 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 create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Fiat Panda 2.
  • Defective hose wear: This case occurs specifically on Fiat Panda 2 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 believe will bring about the plastic parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be impacted 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, specifically present on Fiat Panda 2’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 Fiat Panda 2?

And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you discover the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Fiat Panda 2 . Now that you know the different possible roots 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 Fiat Panda 2 smells hot, don’t think twice to read our content page on this topic.

  • Transmission oil: Nothing could be simpler, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and verify 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 content page to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Fiat Panda 2.
  • 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 see 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 Fiat Panda 2, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

    To find more tips on the Fiat Panda 2, take a look at the Fiat Panda 2 category.