Keeping an eye on your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless standard routine service is designed to keep your Volkswagen Transporter 6 running smoothly over 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 made this content page to help you in case you identify a burnt plastic smell caused by your Volkswagen Transporter 6 . To help you verify that it is nothing serious, first we will outline the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to find the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Transporter 6? .

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The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volkswagen Transporter 6

So we commence our content page with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Volkswagen Transporter 6 . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. In fact, modern vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical malfunction. Below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the most important possible source of such an odor. In fact, the objective of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different elements of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not broken, it also has a second objective as a temperature regulator. However, with time, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the auto 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 Transporter 6. You risk pre-wearing your gearbox if you don’t take care of it.
  • The accessory belt: Nevertheless rarer, it is possible with wear and tear that your belt, which is specifically made 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 produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Volkswagen Transporter 6.
  • Defective hose wear: This case occurs specifically on Volkswagen Transporter 6 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 believe will trigger the plastic auto parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be suffering from 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 common, specifically present on Volkswagen Transporter 6’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 originates from on a Volkswagen Transporter 6?

And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you find the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Volkswagen Transporter 6 . 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 solve your problem quickly. If your Volkswagen Transporter 6 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 verify that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content page to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Volkswagen Transporter 6.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it might also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not think twice to replace 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 case, 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 Transporter 6, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

    If you wish more tutorials on the Volkswagen Transporter 6, go to our Volkswagen Transporter 6 category.