Taking care of your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional maintenance is supposed to keep your volvo xc70 running smoothly with time, some unforeseen breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article we’re going to speak about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has created this article to help you in case you notice a burnt plastic smell caused by your volvo xc70 . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, first we will highlight the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to discover the source of this burnt plastic smell on your volvo xc70? .

smell-burnt-plastic-volvo-xc70

The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a volvo xc70

So we begin our article with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a volvo xc70 . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good signal. Obviously, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a major malfunction. Down below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the main possible origin of such an odor. Obviously, the function 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 also has a second function as a temperature regulator. However, over time, the oil will lose its efficiency 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 volvo xc70. 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 principally done of rubber, will deteriorate 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 create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your volvo xc70.
  • Faulty hose wear: This case happens specifically on volvo xc70 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your vehicle contrary to what you might think will cause the plastic parts to wear out more 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 problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less general, specifically present on volvo xc70’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 volvo xc70?

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 xc70 . 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 problem quickly. If your volvo xc70 smells hot, don’t hesitate to browse our article 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 find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our article to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a volvo xc70.
  • 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 verify all your hoses to find out if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, change them.
  • Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your volvo xc70, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

    To discover more tips on the volvo xc70, take a look at the volvo xc70 category.