Keeping an eye on your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless standard routine service is designed to keep your Mercedes Benz GLK running smoothly over time, some unexpected 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 made this article to help you in case you notice a burnt plastic smell originating from your Mercedes Benz GLK . To help you check that it is nothing severe, first we will detail the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to discover the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Mercedes Benz GLK? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Mercedes Benz GLK
So we begin our article content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Mercedes Benz GLK . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good sign. Obviously, modern vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical malfunction. 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 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 also has a second objective as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, in the long run, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Mercedes Benz GLK. You risk pre-wearing your gearbox if you don’t take care of it.
- The accessory belt: Nevertheless rarer, it is possible with wear and tear that your belt, which is mainly 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 create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Mercedes Benz GLK.
- Faulty hose wear: This case happens especially on Mercedes Benz GLK that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your car unlike what you might presume will trigger the plastic parts to wear out more 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 possibly melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, especially present on Mercedes Benz GLK’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body 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 Mercedes Benz GLK?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you discover the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Mercedes Benz GLK . 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 fix your problem quickly. If your Mercedes Benz GLK smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our article 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 think twice to seek advice from our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Mercedes Benz GLK.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may possibly 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 check all your hoses to find out if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, change them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Mercedes Benz GLK, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If you have any further questions about the Mercedes Benz GLK, do not hesitate to consult our Mercedes Benz GLK category.
