Taking care of your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Although conventional routine service is supposed to keep your Volkswagen Touareg running smoothly with time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today 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 made this content page to help you in the event you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your Volkswagen Touareg . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, first we will outline the different things that can create 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 Touareg? .

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The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volkswagen Touareg

So we commence our content page with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Volkswagen Touareg . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. Indeed, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant breakdown. Down below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the most important possible origin of such an odor. Indeed, the action 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 action as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, as time passes, 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 Touareg. 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 principally made of rubber, will decline and no longer rotate entirely 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 Touareg.
  • Faulty hose wear: This circumstance arises especially on Volkswagen Touareg 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 think will trigger the plastic auto 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 might melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less basic, especially present on Volkswagen Touareg’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 comes from on a Volkswagen Touareg?

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 Touareg . 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 solve your problem quickly. If your Volkswagen Touareg smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our content page on this topic.

  • Transmission oil: Nothing could be simpler, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and verify 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 think twice to consult our content page to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Volkswagen Touareg.
  • 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 verify all your hoses to discover 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 Touareg, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

    If you wish more tutorials on the Volkswagen Touareg, go to our Volkswagen Touareg category.