Taking care of your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional routine service is designed to keep your Toyota Scion FR S running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to focus on your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has made this content to help you in case you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your Toyota Scion FR S . To help you check that it is nothing severe, first we will highlight the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to discover the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Toyota Scion FR S? .

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The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Toyota Scion FR S

So we start our guideline with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Toyota Scion FR S . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good signal. In truth, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a important breakdown. 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 truth, 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 broken, it as well has a second function as a temperature regulator. However, in the long run, the oil will lose its performance 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 Toyota Scion FR S. 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 deteriorate and no longer rotate entirely 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 Toyota Scion FR S.
  • Defective hose wear: This case happens especially on Toyota Scion FR S that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your car contrary to what you might presume will trigger the plastic parts to wear out more quickly. Hoses are the first to be impacted 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 basic, especially present on Toyota Scion FR S’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 Toyota Scion FR S?

And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you discover the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Toyota Scion FR S . 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 Toyota Scion FR S smells hot, don’t think twice to browse 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 find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Toyota Scion FR S.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it might also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. Do not think twice to change 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 case, replace them.
  • Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Toyota Scion FR S, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

    If you need more guides on the Toyota Scion FR S, go to our Toyota Scion FR S category.