Keeping an eye on your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although standard routine service is supposed to keep your Subaru Impreza running smoothly over time, some unpredicted 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 breakdown, that’s why our team has created this article to help you in the event that you notice a burnt plastic smell originating from your Subaru Impreza . To help you check that it is nothing severe, 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 cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Subaru Impreza? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Subaru Impreza
So we begin our article content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Subaru Impreza . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good signal. Obviously, 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 main possible origin of such an odor. Obviously, the function of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different components of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not damaged, it also has a second function as a temperature regulator. However, with time, 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 Subaru Impreza. 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 made of rubber, will degrade 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 block of your Subaru Impreza.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance occurs especially on Subaru Impreza 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 think 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 issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, especially present on Subaru Impreza’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 comes from on a Subaru Impreza?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you locate the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Subaru Impreza . 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 Subaru Impreza smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our article 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 find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our article to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Subaru Impreza.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may possibly also produce 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 find out if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, replace them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Subaru Impreza, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If you have any further questions about the Subaru Impreza, do not hesitate to consult our Subaru Impreza category.
