Taking care of your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless standard maintenance is supposed to keep your Mercedes C class running smoothly with 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 created this content to help you in the event that you identify a burnt plastic smell originating from your Mercedes C class . 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 find the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Mercedes C class? .

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The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Mercedes C class

So we start our content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Mercedes C class . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. Indeed, recent cars 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 origin of such an odor. Indeed, the objective 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 objective as a temperature regulator. However, in the long run, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the auto 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 Mercedes C class. 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 decline 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 unit block of your Mercedes C class.
  • Defective hose wear: This circumstance arises specifically on Mercedes C class 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 auto 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 might melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less common, specifically present on Mercedes C class’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 Mercedes C class?

And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you find the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Mercedes C class . Now that you know the different possible roots of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to eliminate the tracks that don’t concern you and solve your problem quickly. If your Mercedes C class smells hot, don’t hesitate to browse our content 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 discover 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 Mercedes C class.
  • 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 hesitate to replace it.
  • Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually check all your hoses to discover if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, change them.
  • Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Mercedes C class, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

    To discover more tips on the Mercedes C class, take a look at the Mercedes C class category.