Keeping an eye on your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless standard routine service is designed to keep your Renault Espace 3 running smoothly over time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article we’re going to talk about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has created this article to help you in case you identify a burnt plastic smell originating from your Renault Espace 3 . To help you check that it is nothing significant, first we will outline the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to discover the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Renault Espace 3? .

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The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Renault Espace 3

So we start our article content with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Renault Espace 3 . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good indicator. In fact, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant malfunction. 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. In fact, 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, with time, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Renault Espace 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 specifically done of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will trigger the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Renault Espace 3.
  • Faulty hose wear: This case happens especially on Renault Espace 3 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 believe will trigger 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 issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less general, especially present on Renault Espace 3’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 identify where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Renault Espace 3?

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 Renault Espace 3 . 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 fix your issue quickly. If your Renault Espace 3 smells hot, don’t hesitate to go through our article on this topic.

  • Transmission oil: Nothing could be easier, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and check that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not hesitate to consult our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Renault Espace 3.
  • 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 hesitate to change it.
  • Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually check all your hoses to discover if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, change them.
  • Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Renault Espace 3, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

    If you have any further questions about the Renault Espace 3, do not hesitate to consult our Renault Espace 3 category.