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Learn What the Smells in Your Car Mean

Your car communicates with you in a number of ways, so it's important to know what it's trying to tell you. If you notice a new smell while driving, use these tips from Hartmans Inc. in Wichita to decipher what's going on.

Car Odors That Indicate There's An Issue

It's no secret that new cars come with a great new car smell, but this may be the only thing you smell in your car. This is actually ideal, so if you notice new scents and odors while driving around town, it may be time to head to the mechanic. To learn what some scents may be telling you, keep reading.

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The Smell of Rotten Eggs

If you smell rotten eggs in your car, it's a good idea to first check that you haven't left any groceries in your hot car. If you're certain there's no rotting food in your backseat, then the culprit is likely your catalytic converter. This part converts hydrogen sulfide into sulfur dioxide in the engine's exhaust, which is where the smell of sulfur (rotten eggs) is probably coming from. You'll smell this while driving since this is when your catalytic converter is called into action. Your best bet is to head to the mechanic to get this fixed.

Syrup or Something Sweet

A sweet smell around your car will usually be attributed to the coolant. If you start smelling something sweet like syrup while in your car and you haven't recently had pancakes on your way to work, then it's a good idea to check on your coolant. If you have a leak, it'll be easy to spot because the coolant is usually a bright green color. Check under your car to see if you can find any dots of coolant that have leaked onto your driveway. It's also a good idea to open up the hood and check under there since coolant can sometimes pool there. Even if you don't see any coolant, it's a good idea to get your cooling system checked out by a professional. There may be something going on there that's leading to the smell.

Burning Oil

When you smell burning oil while driving, this will likely be the result of engine issues. Some things you can do to diagnose the problem include checking your oil level and looking for signs of a leak. If your oil is running low, this can lead to your engine overheating, hence the smell of burnt oil. If you haven't gotten an oil change in a while, you may just be low on oil. You can top it off or get an oil change for the best results. If your engine has an internal leak, then you may see smoke coming from your exhaust pipe while driving. Either way, head over to your mechanic to get this fixed.

Keep your car protected with a synthetic oil change in Wichita. Click here to buy AMSOIL's Signature Series 0W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil and keep your vehicle in better shape for longer. The oil pros at Hartmans Inc can help you find the right oil for the job. Give them a call at (316) 686-1069 to learn more and check out their online shop for a full range of their products.

Burnt Carpet

This may be a strange one, but smelling burnt carpet can mean you have an issue with your brakes. The first thing you can do is double-check that you aren't driving with your hand brake on. If you're driving down a hill and engaging your brakes a lot, this can also be the culprit. However, if neither of these sounds right, then you'll want to check on your brake pads. In fact, your brake pads may be overheating. Get this fixed by your mechanic as soon as you can to avoid further issues.

Rubber Burning

The smell of burnt rubber will be the result of nothing else but burnt rubber. You may think this is your tires, but if you haven't come to a screeching halt then it's likely something under your car's hood. Open up the hood and visually inspect the inner workings to identify rubber parts that may be burning due to their proximity to hot metal parts. A hose on the engine or other small rubber parts that are coming into contact that heats up while you drive should be moved so that they don't lead to this unpleasant smell.