Taking care of your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Although standard routine service is designed to keep your Volkswagen Crafter running smoothly with time, some unforeseen 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 article to help you in the event that you notice a burnt plastic smell originating from your Volkswagen Crafter . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, first we will outline the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to find the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Crafter? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volkswagen Crafter
So we begin our article content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Volkswagen Crafter . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. Obviously, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a major breakdown. Down below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible source 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 broken, it also has a second function as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, in the long run, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the auto parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Crafter. 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 mainly made of rubber, will degrade 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 generate a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Volkswagen Crafter.
- Defective hose wear: This case happens especially on Volkswagen Crafter 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 believe will trigger the plastic auto parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be affected 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 problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less general, especially present on Volkswagen Crafter’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that might have been bent might 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 originates from on a Volkswagen Crafter?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you find the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Volkswagen Crafter . 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 issue quickly. If your Volkswagen Crafter smells hot, don’t think twice to read our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and verify that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to consult our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Volkswagen Crafter.
- 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 think twice to replace it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify all your hoses to see 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 trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Volkswagen Crafter, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If you wish more guides on the Volkswagen Crafter, go to our Volkswagen Crafter category.
