Taking care of your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although standard maintenance is supposed to keep your Volkswagen Polo 5 running smoothly with time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car 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 created this content to help you in the event that you detect a burnt plastic smell originating from your Volkswagen Polo 5 . To help you check that it is nothing severe, first we will detail the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to discover the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Polo 5? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volkswagen Polo 5
So we commence our article with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Volkswagen Polo 5 . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good indicator. Indeed, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a major malfunction. 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. Indeed, 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. Nevertheless, with time, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the auto 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 Polo 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 made of rubber, will degrade 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 create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Volkswagen Polo 5.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance arises especially on Volkswagen Polo 5 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your car unlike what you might presume will trigger the plastic auto parts to wear out more 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 melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less general, especially present on Volkswagen Polo 5’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that may have been bent may 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 Polo 5?
And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you discover the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Volkswagen Polo 5 . 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 Polo 5 smells hot, don’t hesitate to read our content on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and check 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 hesitate to seek advice from our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Volkswagen Polo 5.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not hesitate to replace it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually check all your hoses to see if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, replace them.
- Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Volkswagen Polo 5, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
In the event that you have any additional questions about the Volkswagen Polo 5, do not hesitate to consult our Volkswagen Polo 5 category.
