Taking care of your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although standard maintenance is designed to keep your Land Rover Discovery running smoothly over time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. Today we’re going to talk about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has written this content to help you in the event you notice a burnt plastic smell caused by your Land Rover Discovery . To help you check that it is nothing severe, first we will outline the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to discover the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Land Rover Discovery? .

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The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Land Rover Discovery

So we begin our content page with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Land Rover Discovery . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. In truth, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical malfunction. Down 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 truth, 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 damaged, it also has a second function as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, in the long run, 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 Land Rover Discovery. 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 specifically made of rubber, will deteriorate and no longer rotate totally 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 block of your Land Rover Discovery.
  • Defective hose wear: This case occurs specifically on Land Rover Discovery that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your vehicle contrary to what you might presume will trigger the plastic auto 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 may possibly melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less general, specifically present on Land Rover Discovery’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that may possibly have been bent may possibly 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 Land Rover Discovery?

And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you discover the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Land Rover Discovery . 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 solve your problem quickly. If your Land Rover Discovery smells hot, don’t hesitate to browse our content on this topic.

  • Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, 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 replace it. Do not hesitate to consult our content to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Land Rover Discovery.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it may possibly also make a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. Do not hesitate to replace 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 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 Land Rover Discovery, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

    To get more tips on the Land Rover Discovery, take a look at the Land Rover Discovery category.