Taking care of your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although standard maintenance is designed to keep your Volkswagen Passat 8 running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to look at your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has written this content page to help you in the event that you detect a burnt plastic smell originating from your Volkswagen Passat 8 . 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 find the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Passat 8? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volkswagen Passat 8
So we start our article with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Volkswagen Passat 8 . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. In truth, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant malfunction. Below we will review 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 damaged, it as well has a second objective 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 cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Passat 8. 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 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 produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Volkswagen Passat 8.
- Faulty hose wear: This case arises specifically on Volkswagen Passat 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 think will cause the plastic auto parts to wear out more fairly 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 might melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less common, specifically present on Volkswagen Passat 8’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 as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Volkswagen Passat 8?
And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you find the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Volkswagen Passat 8 . 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 resolve your issue quickly. If your Volkswagen Passat 8 smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our content page on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be easier, 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 think twice to seek advice from our content page to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Volkswagen Passat 8.
- 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 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, 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 Passat 8, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
To discover more tips on the Volkswagen Passat 8, take a look at the Volkswagen Passat 8 category.
