Keeping an eye on your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional maintenance is supposed to keep your Fiat Panda 3 running smoothly over time, some unpredicted 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 breakdown, that’s why our team has written this article to help you in the event you detect a burnt plastic smell originating from your Fiat Panda 3 . To help you verify that it is nothing significant, 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 locate the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Fiat Panda 3? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Fiat Panda 3
So we begin our guideline with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Fiat Panda 3 . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good signal. Obviously, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a major breakdown. 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. Obviously, 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 broken, it as well has a second function as a temperature regulator. However, over time, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the auto 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 3. 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 specifically 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 Fiat Panda 3.
- Faulty hose wear: This case happens especially on Fiat Panda 3 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 think will bring about the plastic auto parts to wear out more 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 issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less common, especially present on Fiat Panda 3’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that might have been bent might rub against one of your wheels and give off that burnt plastic smell. This may as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Fiat Panda 3?
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 Fiat Panda 3 . 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 Panda 3 smells hot, don’t hesitate to read our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, 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 hesitate to seek advice from our article to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Fiat Panda 3.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it might also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. Do not hesitate 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 auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Fiat Panda 3, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
To find more tips on the Fiat Panda 3, take a look at the Fiat Panda 3 category.
