Keeping an eye on your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless classic routine service is supposed to keep your Volkswagen Transporter running smoothly over time, some unpredicted 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 breakdown, that’s why our team has made this content page to help you in the event you notice a burnt plastic smell originating from your Volkswagen Transporter . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, 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 find the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Transporter? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volkswagen Transporter
So we begin our article content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Volkswagen Transporter . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good signal. In actual fact, 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 main possible source of such an odor. In actual fact, the action of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different elements of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not damaged, it as well has a second action as a temperature regulator. However, as time passes, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the parts and control the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Volkswagen Transporter. 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 mainly made of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will cause 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 Transporter.
- Defective hose wear: This case occurs especially on Volkswagen Transporter that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your vehicle contrary to what you might believe will cause the plastic 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 basic, especially present on Volkswagen Transporter’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 as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to identify where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Volkswagen Transporter?
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 . 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 problem quickly. If your Volkswagen Transporter smells hot, don’t hesitate to go through our content page on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and verify that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not hesitate to consult our content page to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Volkswagen Transporter.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it might also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. Do not hesitate to change it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify all your hoses to find out 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, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If you want more guides on the Volkswagen Transporter, go to our Volkswagen Transporter category.
