Taking care of your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Although classic maintenance is designed to keep your Kia Carens running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today 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 content page to help you in case you identify a burnt plastic smell caused by your Kia Carens . To help you check that it is nothing serious, 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 locate the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Kia Carens? .

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The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Kia Carens

So we commence our content page with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Kia Carens . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good sign. In fact, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant breakdown. Below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the main possible source of such an odor. In fact, the objective of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different components 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 efficiency and will not lubricate the auto parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Kia Carens. 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 decline 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 Kia Carens.
  • Faulty hose wear: This circumstance arises specifically on Kia Carens 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 presume 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 might melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less common, specifically present on Kia Carens’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 also pre-wear out your tyres.

How to identify where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Kia Carens?

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

  • Transmission oil: Nothing could be simpler, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and check 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 Kia Carens.
  • 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 check all your hoses to find out if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, replace them.
  • Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Kia Carens, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

    If you have any further questions about the Kia Carens, do not hesitate to consult our Kia Carens category.