Keeping an eye on your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless classic maintenance is supposed to keep your Mercedes Classe C 3 running smoothly over time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. Today we’re going to focus on your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has written this article to help you in the event you notice a burnt plastic smell caused by your Mercedes Classe C 3 . To help you verify that it is nothing significant, first we will outline the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to find the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Mercedes Classe C 3? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Mercedes Classe C 3
So we start our guideline with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Mercedes Classe C 3 . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good indicator. Indeed, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a important breakdown. 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 broken, it as well has a second objective as a temperature regulator. However, in the long run, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the auto parts and control the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Mercedes Classe C 3. 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 completely 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 unit block of your Mercedes Classe C 3.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance arises specifically on Mercedes Classe C 3 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your vehicle contrary to what you might believe will trigger the plastic auto parts to wear out more quickly. Hoses are the first to be suffering from 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 issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less general, specifically present on Mercedes Classe C 3’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 as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to identify where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Mercedes Classe C 3?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you find the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Mercedes Classe C 3 . Now that you know the different possible origins of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to get rid of the tracks that don’t concern you and resolve your issue quickly. If your Mercedes Classe C 3 smells hot, don’t think twice to go through our article 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 seek advice from our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Mercedes Classe C 3.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it might also produce 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, change them.
- Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Mercedes Classe C 3, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If you need more guides on the Mercedes Classe C 3, go to our Mercedes Classe C 3 category.
