Keeping an eye on your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although standard maintenance is designed to keep your hyundai i20 running smoothly over time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to speak about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has created this article to help you in case you identify a burnt plastic smell caused by your hyundai i20 . To help you verify that it is nothing serious, first we will outline the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to locate the source of this burnt plastic smell on your hyundai i20? .

smell-burnt-plastic-hyundai-i20

The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a hyundai i20

So we start our article content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a hyundai i20 . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good indicator. In fact, 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 most important possible source of such an odor. In 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 as well has a second action as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, as time passes, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your hyundai i20. 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 mainly done of rubber, will degrade 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 produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your hyundai i20.
  • Defective hose wear: This circumstance occurs especially on hyundai i20 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 cause the plastic 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 melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less common, especially present on hyundai i20’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body parts that may have been bent may rub against one of your wheels and give off that burnt plastic smell. This may as well pre-wear out your tyres.

How to identify where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a hyundai i20?

And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you locate the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your hyundai i20 . 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 hyundai i20 smells hot, don’t hesitate to go through 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 find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a hyundai i20.
  • 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 hesitate 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 circumstance, replace them.
  • Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your hyundai i20, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

    Whenever you have any further questions about the hyundai i20, do not hesitate to consult our hyundai i20 category.