Berkeley Auto Repair

Have you ever come across an unusual odor in your car, and you had no idea where it came from? Maybe the first thing you did was checking under your seat for an old food bag but didn't find any. The stinky smell emanates from your engines caused by something mechanical and could lead to expensive repairs when neglected. You should always pay attention to every scent in your car as each has an indication. Below are some unusual vehicle smells and what they indicate.

Rotten Eggs

A smell similar to rotten eggs indicates that there's a malfunctioning part in the fuel system. Maybe your catalytic converter may not correctly process hydrogen sulfide in the exhaust into sulfur dioxide, hence the smell of rotten eggs.

Burnt Oil

When you encounter this smell, the first thing to do is to check your oil dipstick. A burnt oil smell shows that you are running out of engine oil or the engine is overheating. Also, it could indicate an oil leak onto the engine block or exhaust manifold.

Maple Syrup

When a car is running or recently turned off, the sweet smell of syrup indicates that the engine coolant, ethylene glycol, has spilled from the cylinder head, radiator, or a failed intake manifold gasket. You need to worry about this and get it checked by a mechanic right away because your car will break down if it overheats.

Burnt Rubber

A smell of a burnt rubber spells out trouble and needs to be addressed quickly as soon as it occurs. The smell signals that a rubber hose or belt under the hood has loosened, and it touches the hot engine when moving around, hence the rubber smell.

Burnt Carpet

Burnt carpet smell suggests issues with breaks. Maybe the brake pads may have overheated and the handbrake left on for some time. It would be best if you brought your vehicle into our shop to replace the worn-out pads.

In a nutshell

Taking note of peculiar smells is essential to every car owner because they come with different signs about your car's condition. Therefore, if you notice an unusual smell, we invite you to bring your car to our expert auto repair shop for an inspection at your earliest convenience!