Taking care of your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although conventional routine service is designed to keep your smart fortwo running smoothly with time, some unexpected 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 breakdown, that’s why our team has made this content page to help you in the event that you identify a burnt plastic smell coming from your smart fortwo . To help you check that it is nothing serious, first we will highlight the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to locate the source of this burnt plastic smell on your smart fortwo? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a smart fortwo
So we start our article with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a smart fortwo . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. In actual fact, modern cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant breakdown. Down below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible source of such an odor. In actual fact, 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 as well has a second function as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, over time, the oil will lose its effectiveness 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 smart fortwo. 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 specifically done of rubber, will degrade 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 unit block of your smart fortwo.
- Faulty hose wear: This circumstance arises especially on smart fortwo 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 think 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 may melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less common, especially present on smart fortwo’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 find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a smart fortwo?
And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you locate the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your smart fortwo . Now that you know the different possible origins of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to eliminate the tracks that don’t concern you and solve your issue quickly. If your smart fortwo smells hot, don’t hesitate to browse our content page 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 change it. Do not hesitate to consult our content page to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a smart fortwo.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may also produce 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 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 smart fortwo, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If you want more tutorials on the smart fortwo, go to our smart fortwo category.
