Taking care of your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless classic routine service is designed to keep your Fiat Tipo running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article 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 made this content to help you in the event you detect a burnt plastic smell caused by your Fiat Tipo . To help you check that it is nothing severe, first we will highlight the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to find the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Fiat Tipo? .

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

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

  • Transmission oil: This is the most important possible source of such an odor. In actual fact, 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. However, as time passes, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the auto 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 Tipo. 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 completely on its axis. With the friction that this will trigger the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will generate a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Fiat Tipo.
  • Defective hose wear: This case happens especially on Fiat Tipo that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your car unlike what you might believe will trigger the plastic auto 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 may melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less general, especially present on Fiat Tipo’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that may have been bent may 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 Tipo?

And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you find the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Fiat Tipo . 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 fix your problem quickly. If your Fiat Tipo smells hot, don’t think twice to read our content on this topic.

  • Transmission oil: Nothing could be easier, 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 replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Fiat Tipo.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not think twice to replace 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, replace them.
  • Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Fiat Tipo, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

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