Taking care of your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Although standard maintenance is supposed to keep your Volkswagen Golf 5 running smoothly with time, some unforeseen breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today we’re going to talk about 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 notice a burnt plastic smell originating from your Volkswagen Golf 5 . To help you check that it is nothing severe, 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 source of this burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Golf 5? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volkswagen Golf 5
So we commence our article content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Volkswagen Golf 5 . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. Indeed, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a important malfunction. Down below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the most important possible source of such an odor. Indeed, the action 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 also has a second action as a temperature regulator. However, over time, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the auto parts and control the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Golf 5. 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 done of rubber, will deteriorate and no longer rotate completely on its axis. With the friction that this will cause the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will generate a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Volkswagen Golf 5.
- Defective hose wear: This case arises especially on Volkswagen Golf 5 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your car contrary to what you might presume will cause the plastic auto parts to wear out more fairly 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 Volkswagen Golf 5’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 Golf 5?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you discover the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Volkswagen Golf 5 . Now that you know the different possible roots of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to eliminate the tracks that don’t concern you and fix your problem quickly. If your Volkswagen Golf 5 smells hot, don’t hesitate to go through our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be simpler, 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 Golf 5.
- 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 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, replace them.
- Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Volkswagen Golf 5, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
To find more tips on the Volkswagen Golf 5, take a look at the Volkswagen Golf 5 category.
