Keeping an eye on your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Although conventional maintenance is designed to keep your Volkswagen Transporter 5 running smoothly with time, some unforeseen 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 made this content to help you in the event that you detect a burnt plastic smell coming from your Volkswagen Transporter 5 . To help you check that it is nothing severe, first we will highlight 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 Transporter 5? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volkswagen Transporter 5
So we start our guideline with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Volkswagen Transporter 5 . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. Indeed, modern vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical 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 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. However, in the long run, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the 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 Transporter 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 specifically done of rubber, will decline 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 Transporter 5.
- Defective hose wear: This case arises especially on Volkswagen Transporter 5 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your car contrary to what you might presume will cause the plastic 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 may possibly melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less general, especially present on Volkswagen Transporter 5’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 find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Volkswagen Transporter 5?
And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you locate the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Volkswagen Transporter 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 solve your issue quickly. If your Volkswagen Transporter 5 smells hot, don’t hesitate to browse our content 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 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 Transporter 5.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it may possibly also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. 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 case, replace them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Volkswagen Transporter 5, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If you want more guides on the Volkswagen Transporter 5, go to our Volkswagen Transporter 5 category.
