Taking care of your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional maintenance is designed to keep your Mini Countryman running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to talk about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has created this article to help you in case you notice a burnt plastic smell caused by your Mini Countryman . To help you verify that it is nothing significant, first we will detail the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to discover the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Mini Countryman? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Mini Countryman
So we begin our article content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Mini Countryman . Generally, 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 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. 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. However, in the long run, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the parts and control the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Mini Countryman. 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 done of rubber, will decline and no longer rotate entirely 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 Mini Countryman.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance arises specifically on Mini Countryman 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 trigger 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 Mini Countryman’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 also pre-wear out your tyres.
How to identify where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Mini Countryman?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you discover the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Mini Countryman . 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 solve your issue quickly. If your Mini Countryman smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our article 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 discover 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 Mini Countryman.
- 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 discover if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, change them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Mini Countryman, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
In the event that you have any further questions about the Mini Countryman, do not hesitate to consult our Mini Countryman category.
