Taking care of your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless standard routine service is designed to keep your Opel Antara running smoothly over time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to focus on your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has made this content to help you in the event you detect a burnt plastic smell originating from your Opel Antara . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, first we will detail the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to find the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Opel Antara? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Opel Antara
So we begin our content page with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Opel Antara . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. Obviously, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a important malfunction. 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 function 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 function as a temperature regulator. However, over time, the oil will lose its efficiency 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 Opel Antara. 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 principally made of rubber, will deteriorate and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will bring about the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Opel Antara.
- Faulty hose wear: This case happens specifically on Opel Antara that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your vehicle unlike what you might think will bring about the plastic 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 common, specifically present on Opel Antara’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 find out where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Opel Antara?
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 Opel Antara . 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 Opel Antara smells hot, don’t hesitate to go through our content on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, 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 change it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Opel Antara.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it might also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. Do not hesitate to change 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 case, replace them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Opel Antara, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
To get more tips on the Opel Antara, take a look at the Opel Antara category.
