Keeping an eye on your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional maintenance is supposed to keep your Volkswagen Golf 8 running smoothly over 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 created this content page to help you in the event you detect a burnt plastic smell caused by your Volkswagen Golf 8 . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, first we will outline the different things that can produce 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 Volkswagen Golf 8? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volkswagen Golf 8
So we commence our article content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Volkswagen Golf 8 . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. Indeed, modern cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant breakdown. Down 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. Indeed, 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. However, with time, 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 Volkswagen Golf 8. 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 mainly done of rubber, will decline 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 generate a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Volkswagen Golf 8.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance occurs specifically on Volkswagen Golf 8 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your vehicle unlike what you might believe will trigger the plastic 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 may possibly melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less common, specifically present on Volkswagen Golf 8’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 also pre-wear out your tyres.
How to identify where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Volkswagen Golf 8?
And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you discover the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Volkswagen Golf 8 . 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 issue quickly. If your Volkswagen Golf 8 smells hot, don’t think twice to read our content page 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 change it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content page to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Volkswagen Golf 8.
- 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 change 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 Golf 8, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If you wish more guides on the Volkswagen Golf 8, go to our Volkswagen Golf 8 category.
