Keeping an eye on your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional maintenance is designed to keep your Porsche Cayenne running smoothly over time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today we’re going to speak about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has created this content to help you in case you detect a burnt plastic smell caused by your Porsche Cayenne . To help you check that it is nothing serious, 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 Porsche Cayenne? .

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The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Porsche Cayenne

So we start our article with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Porsche Cayenne . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good sign. Indeed, modern vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a major 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 damaged, 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 bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Porsche Cayenne. 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 done of rubber, will deteriorate 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 produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Porsche Cayenne.
  • Faulty hose wear: This case occurs specifically on Porsche Cayenne that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your car contrary to what you might presume will bring about the plastic parts to wear out more fairly 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 may possibly melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less basic, specifically present on Porsche Cayenne’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 find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Porsche Cayenne?

And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you discover the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Porsche Cayenne . 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 fix your problem quickly. If your Porsche Cayenne smells hot, don’t think twice to go through 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 see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Porsche Cayenne.
  • 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 see 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 Porsche Cayenne, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

    If you have any additional questions about the Porsche Cayenne, do not hesitate to consult our Porsche Cayenne category.