Taking care of your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Although conventional maintenance is designed to keep your Lexus GX running smoothly over time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today we’re going to look at your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has created this content page to help you in the event you detect a burnt plastic smell originating from your Lexus GX . To help you verify 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 cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Lexus GX? .

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The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Lexus GX

So we begin our content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Lexus GX . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good indicator. Indeed, modern cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a important breakdown. Below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the main possible origin of such an odor. Indeed, 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 broken, it as well has a second objective 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 bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Lexus GX. 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 done of rubber, will decline and no longer rotate completely on its axis. With the friction that this will bring about the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Lexus GX.
  • Defective hose wear: This circumstance occurs specifically on Lexus GX 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 think will bring about the plastic 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 might melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less basic, specifically present on Lexus GX’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body 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 identify where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Lexus GX?

And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you locate the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Lexus GX . 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 resolve your problem quickly. If your Lexus GX smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our content page on this topic.

  • Transmission oil: Nothing could be simpler, 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 replace it. Do not think twice to consult our content page to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Lexus GX.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it might also make a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not think twice to replace 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 bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Lexus GX, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

    If you want more tutorials on the Lexus GX, go to our Lexus GX category.