Keeping an eye on your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although conventional routine service is designed to keep your Renault Megane 4 running smoothly over time, some unforeseen breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to speak about 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 that you identify a burnt plastic smell coming from your Renault Megane 4 . To help you verify that it is nothing significant, first we will outline the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to locate the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Renault Megane 4? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Renault Megane 4
So we begin our article with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Renault Megane 4 . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. In fact, modern cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant malfunction. Below we will review 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 components of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not broken, it as well has a second objective as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, as time passes, 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 Renault Megane 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 principally made 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 unit block of your Renault Megane 4.
- Defective hose wear: This case happens specifically on Renault Megane 4 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your vehicle unlike what you might presume will trigger the plastic parts to wear out more quickly. Hoses are the first to be affected by this phenomenon. The rubber will disintegrate little by little and with the rise in heat of the fluid that circulates in it, it may melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less common, specifically present on Renault Megane 4’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body parts that may have been bent may 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 comes from on a Renault Megane 4?
And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you locate the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Renault Megane 4 . 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 solve your problem quickly. If your Renault Megane 4 smells hot, don’t hesitate to read our content on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be simpler, 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 replace it. Do not hesitate to consult our content to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Renault Megane 4.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may also make a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not hesitate to replace 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, change them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Renault Megane 4, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
Whenever you have any additional questions about the Renault Megane 4, do not hesitate to consult our Renault Megane 4 category.
