Keeping an eye on your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless standard maintenance is supposed to keep your Volkswagen Lupo running smoothly over time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article we’re going to speak about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has written this article to help you in the event that you detect a burnt plastic smell originating from your Volkswagen Lupo . To help you check that it is nothing significant, first we will highlight the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to discover the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Lupo? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volkswagen Lupo
So we start our article with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Volkswagen Lupo . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good indicator. Indeed, modern cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a important malfunction. Down below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible origin of such an odor. Indeed, the function 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 function as a temperature regulator. However, in the long run, the oil will lose its efficiency 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 Lupo. 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 made of rubber, will decline and no longer rotate completely 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 unit block of your Volkswagen Lupo.
- Defective hose wear: This case occurs specifically on Volkswagen Lupo that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your car unlike what you might think will trigger the plastic parts to wear out more fairly 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 possibly melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less general, specifically present on Volkswagen Lupo’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 Lupo?
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 Lupo . 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 resolve your problem quickly. If your Volkswagen Lupo smells hot, don’t hesitate to read 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 find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not hesitate to consult our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Volkswagen Lupo.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may possibly 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 find out if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, change them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Volkswagen Lupo, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
To get more tips on the Volkswagen Lupo, take a look at the Volkswagen Lupo category.
