Taking care of your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional routine service is designed to keep your Suzuki Vitara running smoothly over time, some unpredicted 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 written this content to help you in the event you identify a burnt plastic smell coming from your Suzuki Vitara . To help you check that it is nothing severe, 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 source of this burnt plastic smell on your Suzuki Vitara? .

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The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Suzuki Vitara

So we commence our content page with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Suzuki Vitara . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good sign. Obviously, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant malfunction. Down 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 objective 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 objective as a temperature regulator. However, as time passes, the oil will lose its effectiveness 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 Suzuki Vitara. 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 principally done of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate completely on its axis. With the friction that this will trigger the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Suzuki Vitara.
  • Defective hose wear: This circumstance happens specifically on Suzuki Vitara that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your car unlike what you might presume 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, specifically present on Suzuki Vitara’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 Suzuki Vitara?

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 Suzuki Vitara . 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 fix your issue quickly. If your Suzuki Vitara smells hot, don’t hesitate to read our content on this topic.

  • Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, 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 content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Suzuki Vitara.
  • 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 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 circumstance, change them.
  • Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Suzuki Vitara, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

    In the event that you have any additional questions about the Suzuki Vitara, do not hesitate to consult our Suzuki Vitara category.