Blog / Car Care Tips Burlington VT

Have a Smelly Car? Find out why!

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We’ve all gotten stuck behind, or even worse, in, a terrible smelling vehicle. There are a number of reasons why your vehicle might be considered the stinky one. Sometimes it’s as small as food rolling under your seat a week ago, but it could be as big as a fluid leak that needs attention. Check out these possible smell creators and see if you can work to get that new car smell back!
  1. Your brakes or clutch needs to be looked at. - If you’re smelling something harsh, acrid, or burning, it could be your clutch or brakes. The reason for it could be riding your brakes, leaving the emergency brake on, a stuck caliper, or frozen parking brake.
  2. There is a leak in your heater core. - If this is the issue, you’re going to smell something sweet. While this might be more pleasant than the previous issue, it’s still not good. If you’re smelling something as sweet as candy, and you know you haven’t lost any in your vents recently, you’re probably smelling antifreeze. You’ll smell it on the inside of your car and you may also notice a filmy fog on the windshield when the heat is on.
  3. Water is getting where it shouldn’t. - We all know that damp musty smell of things left in the washer too long. If you’re getting that in your car, there is probably water pooling somewhere. Leaky doors or windows can let water in so keep an eye out for damp seats or floors.
  4. You have an oil leak. - If oil is leaking and drips on any part of your exhaust system, you’ll smell burning oil. To make things worse it can create a big, thick cloud or blue smoke if it gets bad enough.
  5. The catalytic converter is broken. - These are emissions control components that alter exhaust gasses. When they aren’t working properly, you’ll get a rotten egg smell that you’ll want to address fast.
If you’re experiencing any of these smells in your vehicle, stop by DELLA Mitsubishi. Our service department will be happy to take a look at it for you. Also, be sure to take a look at your service and parts specials, and you could get an even better deal!"Seven Reasons Your Car Stinks." About.com Autos. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Aug. 2016.
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