Keeping an eye on your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Although standard routine service is supposed to keep your Volkswagen Touran running smoothly over time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today 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 made this content page to help you in the event that you detect a burnt plastic smell originating from your Volkswagen Touran . To help you check that it is nothing serious, first we will detail the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to locate the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Touran? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volkswagen Touran
So we begin our guideline with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Volkswagen Touran . 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 important malfunction. 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 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 also has a second objective as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, over 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 Touran. 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 done of rubber, will degrade 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 Touran.
- Faulty hose wear: This case arises especially on Volkswagen Touran that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your car contrary to what you might presume will trigger the plastic parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be impacted 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 issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, especially present on Volkswagen Touran’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body 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 find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Volkswagen Touran?
And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you locate the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Volkswagen Touran . Now that you know the different possible origins 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 Touran smells hot, don’t hesitate to read our content page 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 discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our content page to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Volkswagen Touran.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it might 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 discover if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, replace them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Volkswagen Touran, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
In the event that you have any further questions about the Volkswagen Touran, do not hesitate to consult our Volkswagen Touran category.
