Taking care of your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Although standard routine service is supposed to keep your Volkswagen Atlas running smoothly over time, some unforeseen 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 written this article to help you in case you detect a burnt plastic smell caused by your Volkswagen Atlas . To help you check that it is nothing significant, first we will detail the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to discover the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Atlas? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volkswagen Atlas
So we begin our article content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Volkswagen Atlas . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good indicator. In truth, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical breakdown. Down below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the most important possible origin of such an odor. In truth, 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 broken, it also has a second objective as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, as time passes, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the auto parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Atlas. 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 cause 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 Volkswagen Atlas.
- Faulty hose wear: This case occurs specifically on Volkswagen Atlas 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 cause the plastic auto parts to wear out more 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 melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, specifically present on Volkswagen Atlas’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that may have been bent may rub against one of your wheels and give off that burnt plastic smell. This may also pre-wear out your tyres.
How to identify where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Volkswagen Atlas?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you discover the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Volkswagen Atlas . Now that you know the different possible origins of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to get rid of the tracks that don’t concern you and fix your problem quickly. If your Volkswagen Atlas smells hot, don’t hesitate to browse our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be easier, 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 seek advice from our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Volkswagen Atlas.
- 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 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 case, change them.
- Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Volkswagen Atlas, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If you wish more guides on the Volkswagen Atlas, go to our Volkswagen Atlas category.
