Vehicle Scents That You Shouldn’t Ignore

Cars have a natural ‘car smell’ which car owners can all relate to. But there are some scents that you’d smell in a vehicle but should be given more attention to because they could mean danger. The next time you get a whiff of something odd in your car, don’t dismiss it right away! Stop, inspect the source, and take whatever action that needs to be done to fix it.  

Burnt Rubber

When you notice something like this, know that it’s probably the slipping drive belts or misplaced loose hoses that might be rubbing against rotating accessory drive pulley. While it’s vital that you take care of this immediately, do not reach in if the engine is hot. Wait for it to cool down.

Hot Oil

Before anything else, turn off the engine before you check if there’s any leak. Then, you can proceed. If there is actually a leak, you will see oil on the pavement or smoke coming from the engine area.

Gasoline

This smell can cause a driver or even passenger to panic because of the fact that fuel smell is a possible fire hazard. Don’t risk driving your car when you smell this and eliminate the smell as soon as you can, if you don’t know how to, call a car servicing right away.  

Sweet Smell Of Syrup

While it may smell nice, this could actually mean engine coolant is leaking from a component related to car’s cooling system. Just remember not to touch the radiator cup when it’s hot in attempt to check what’s wrong.

Burning Carpet

A scent like this means serious brake trouble that definitely should be attended ASAP! If this happens a lot on a normal driving condition, all the more that you need to get your brakes checked.

Rotten Eggs

No, it’s not the breakfast you tried to eat in your car on the way to work but didn’t get around to. This is usually due to a poor running engine that leads to the catalytic converter not converting hydrogen sulfide in the exhaust to sulfur dioxide properly.