Why Does my Car smell?

Common symptoms for Why Does my Car smell?

Does your Car smell like burning rubber, burning brakes, burning plastic, or else?

A bad smell coming from your vehicle isn't a lucky sign. Whether the smell resembles burning rubber — or something worse — identifying the source is challenging. And truth be told, car issues make us panic about the worst scenario.

To cover this type of issue, we've made this set of four articles empowering car and truck owners like you to find answers. By reading through the articles, you’ll get familiar with:

What smells are common
What common causes create these smells, and how to identify them
What fixes will your trusted auto repair shop apply to eliminate the smell

AttentionRegardless of the smell’s nature, your first action should be to stop the vehicle somewhere safe and look for any associated symptoms. From there, you can either examine the issue yourself or seek the assistance of an auto repair shop. Ideally, choose a shop within a 5-mile radius of your current location.

Common Smells

If you’re far from your trusted shop or driving somewhere unfamiliar, check out our list of AutoTechIQ-certified auto repair shops. This list includes experienced shops in your current area that helped drivers like you in the past. These shops perform a free vehicle health inspection to diagnose your car’s issues on a first visit.

Depending on the smell, the issue can advance quickly. For example, while driving your car or truck with a burning plastic smell may seem ok, you should consider that serious problems might develop under you. It can quickly turn into a dangerous and very costly situation.

To avoid fires, blown engines, binding brakes, or other forms of hazard, take your car or truck to auto repair shops recommended by AutoTechIQ. We include shops based on trust, customer education, and experience.

How Customer-focused Auto Repair Shops Can Assist You

Depending on your concern, an auto repair shop centered on customer education performs the following:

The shop inspects your car’s problem

They test, diagnose, and, if possible, give you a quote on fixing it. Plus, they’ll show you a complete vehicle health inspection result, educating you to decide.

Your concern is already part of their vehicle health inspection process

and your vehicle’s health bill contains relevant information about the issue.

Your concern might be complex to diagnose and require additional equipment to

pinpoint the cause. In this case, you’ll receive the standard vehicle health inspection and a quote from the shop to perform deeper diagnostic and test procedures.

Regardless of the problem's complexity, you'll always receive a vehicle health inspection to make the best decision matching your budget and goals. Note that safety-related items are always high-priority topics to discuss.

Common Causes For Odd Car Smells

Typical testing procedures and a vehicle health inspection tell the likely diagnosis, listing what fixes should take care of the smell. In addition, ask your trusted automotive repair or service advisor for the best inspection interval based on your driving habits.

These are the most common causes for odd smells from the vehicle:

Problems

Oil Leaks
Cooling System
Electrical Fault
Coolant Leakage
Damaged Drive Belts
Catalytic Converter or Fuel System

What should you share with your trusted auto repair shop to get it fixed?

If you wanted to make a first verification step, you could use the vehicle health inspection images above and compare them with your vehicle. If any of the images match what your car or truck is experiencing, you most likely found the potential cause already, and your talk to the auto repair shop of your choice will definitely be very productive. In addition, you might be able to save money significantly.

Step 1

First Things First: Get A Digital Vehicle Health Inspection

First of all, any trusted auto repair shop should perform a comprehensive vehicle health inspection regardless of the situation.

In addition, this inspection reveals only what the shop needs to fix. No unnecessary repairs will occur. We recommend sticking to the same trusted automotive repair shop you use for car maintenance or, as it is often referred to, an “oil change.”

Plus, performing this inspection twice a year allows you to see trends of wear and tear. Also, you’ll grow confident that the cost of regular maintenance is a good investment in increasing the lifespan of your car or truck.

Step 2

Help Your Shop to Pinpoint the Cause

The details you provide help the shop save testing time, which also saves you money. For example, if your car makes strange noises, the critical questions are:

When does the noise occur?
How long has it been happening?
What accessories were operating?
Did you turn these accessories on, or were they all on for an extended time?

When does the noise occur?

How long has it been happening?

What accessories were operating?

Did you turn these accessories on, or were they all on for an extended time?

Step 3

Share your Goals for your Car or Truck

To ensure that the auto repair shop performs the proper fixes, please share your goals for vehicle longevity with the service advisor.

Specific goals might be:

The maximum mileage you want your car or truck to last
The maximum budget you intend to invest in your car or truck in the future

The maximum mileage you want your car or truck to last

The maximum budget you intend to invest in your car or truck in the future

Does the information on this page help you take the next step, be confident in interacting with your auto repair shop and guide you to the best course of action?