Keeping an eye on your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Although conventional routine service is designed to keep your Mazda 3 running smoothly over time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article we’re going to speak 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 the event that you notice a burnt plastic smell originating from your Mazda 3 . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, first we will detail 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 Mazda 3? .

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The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Mazda 3

So we start our article content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Mazda 3 . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. Obviously, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a major breakdown. Below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the main possible source of such an odor. Obviously, 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. Nevertheless, with time, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the parts and control the temperature as well, which will bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Mazda 3. 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 deteriorate and no longer rotate entirely on its axis. With the friction that this will bring about 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 Mazda 3.
  • Defective hose wear: This circumstance arises especially on Mazda 3 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 troubled 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 Mazda 3’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 also pre-wear out your tyres.

How to find out where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Mazda 3?

And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you find the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Mazda 3 . 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 Mazda 3 smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our content page on this topic.

  • Transmission oil: Nothing could be easier, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and verify that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content page to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Mazda 3.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it may also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. Do not think twice to change it.
  • Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify all your hoses to see if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, change them.
  • Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Mazda 3, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

    If you wish more guides on the Mazda 3, go to our Mazda 3 category.