Taking care of your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Although classic routine service is designed to keep your Renault Clio 4 running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article we’re going to look at 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 you notice a burnt plastic smell caused by your Renault Clio 4 . To help you verify that it is nothing significant, first we will detail the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to find the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Renault Clio 4? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Renault Clio 4
So we start our content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Renault Clio 4 . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. In truth, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical malfunction. Below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the most important possible source of such an odor. In truth, 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, as time passes, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Renault Clio 4. You risk pre-wearing your gearbox if you don’t take care of it.
- The accessory belt: Although rarer, it is possible with wear and tear that your belt, which is mainly 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 create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Renault Clio 4.
- Faulty hose wear: This circumstance happens especially on Renault Clio 4 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your car contrary to what you might believe will bring about the plastic 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 general, especially present on Renault Clio 4’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 as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Renault Clio 4?
And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you find the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Renault Clio 4 . Now that you know the different possible roots 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 problem quickly. If your Renault Clio 4 smells hot, don’t think twice to go through our content 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 see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not think twice to consult our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Renault Clio 4.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it might also make a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. Do not think twice to change it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify all your hoses to see if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, change them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Renault Clio 4, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
To find more tips on the Renault Clio 4, take a look at the Renault Clio 4 category.
