Taking care of your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Although classic maintenance is supposed to keep your Volkswagen Fox running smoothly over time, some unforeseen breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today we’re going to focus on your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has made this article to help you in the event you identify a burnt plastic smell coming from your Volkswagen Fox . To help you verify that it is nothing significant, first we will detail the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to discover the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Fox? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volkswagen Fox
So we start our article with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Volkswagen Fox . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good indicator. In truth, recent cars 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. In truth, the objective 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 as well has a second objective as a temperature regulator. However, as time passes, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the parts and control the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Fox. 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 principally made of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate totally 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 Volkswagen Fox.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance arises especially on Volkswagen Fox 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 parts to wear out more 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 may possibly melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, especially present on Volkswagen Fox’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 as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to find out where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Volkswagen Fox?
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 Fox . 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 solve your problem quickly. If your Volkswagen Fox smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be easier, 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 find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Volkswagen Fox.
- 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 verify all your hoses to see if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, replace them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Volkswagen Fox, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
To find more tips on the Volkswagen Fox, take a look at the Volkswagen Fox category.
