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 Volvo Xc40 running smoothly over time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article 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 article to help you in the event that you identify a burnt plastic smell originating from your Volvo Xc40 . To help you check that it is nothing severe, first we will outline the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to discover the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Volvo Xc40? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Volvo Xc40
So we begin our article with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Volvo Xc40 . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. Obviously, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a major breakdown. Below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible origin of such an odor. Obviously, 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 efficiency and will not lubricate the parts and control the temperature as well, which will bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Volvo Xc40. 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 deteriorate and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will bring about the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Volvo Xc40.
- Faulty hose wear: This case arises especially on Volvo Xc40 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 bring about 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 general, especially present on Volvo Xc40’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 identify where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Volvo Xc40?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you discover the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Volvo Xc40 . Now that you know the different possible origins of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to get rid of the tracks that don’t concern you and fix your issue quickly. If your Volvo Xc40 smells hot, don’t hesitate to read our article 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 article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Volvo Xc40.
- 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 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, change them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Volvo Xc40, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If you want more tutorials on the Volvo Xc40, go to our Volvo Xc40 category.
