Roy2882

Hi, My car exhaust smells like burning rubber every time I drive the car and dissappears a soon as I switch off the engine. I only noticed this after the 1000k service. Is this normal for a new car? Has anyone else had this problem?

mrgooch

Did they do any other service?Bring it back and let them investigate.I had a serious problem on my first visit. They did the recall [ gas tank ] service and when I drove away it had a distinct smell of gas. It took 3 return visits before they got it corrected.

Roy2882

Yes they did that recall gas tank/fuel line service. I don't think it smells like gas.. It's more like burning rubber or plastic? I took it to the dealer a few days ago who said that it's normal for a new car?? Spoke to someone else at Nissan now who has asked me to bring the car in tomorrow. I hope I haven't done any damage to the engine driving around like that. Read online that it could be engine oil leaking into the engine block which can damage the engine!

What was the cause of the problem you had and what did they do to fix it?

Chris_L

That smell is normal for new cars. It's the undercarraige spray used to prevent rust. It burns off over time. I've had this on every new car that I've owned. My STi was the worst since it was shipped by boat from Japan. Subaru must coat the cars extra-heavy for that journey.

Roy2882

Hi Chris. Yes I did get rust proofing done by Nissan when I bought the car. What is strange is that the smell was never there before the first service... Or maybe I didn't notice it because it's only there If the engine is still running...dissapears if I turn it off . I first noticed it when I got out of the car to check how I have parked with the engine still running. Going to take the car to Nissan again tomorrow and I hope that it's just the coating like you said.

Does anyone know what all they would check tomorrow just so that I know that they have done checks properly. It's my first car... you know how I feel

Chris_L

We tend to be more aware of something odd after dealer services Hopefully it's just the burn-off. On some of my new cars it filled my garage with that odor. The spray burns off the exhaust quickly but takes time to burn off adjacent areas. Maybe up to 2k miles. Our SR has 400 miles on it and it still has that burn off smell. Regardless, having the delaer look into it is not a bad idea in the event it is something else. Good luck.

240tomax

Whoa.... an awfully nice first car. My first car was a Datsun 510.

lightonthehill

Yes, a VERY nice first car. My first car was a '49 four door black Studebaker. And my second car was a tan '53 Chevy. Got that Chevy used for $125, sold it two years later for $175. It was a very base car, with 3 speed manual and NO HEATER. I almost froze to death. Heaters became standard on all cars soon after that. My '55 Pontiac was my first car with automatic tranny. I had several Pontiacs soon after that, and liked them all. I never had a car with Air Conditioning until my '66 Olds Delta 88.

My 7th gen ('09) Maxima used to put out a very strong smell whenever I really stomped on the pedal. I didn't do that very often. I will be interested in what the dealer says about Roy's burning rubber smell. Maybe some of the rustproofing spray ended up on the bottom of the engine, and the engine heat causes the smell? But that is purely a wild guess.

Roy2882

Hi Guys. Turns out that Nissan have applied rust proofing on the exhaust pipe as well ( the whole underside of my car is black with the coating) and therefore the burning smell. They said that it will go eventually. They did all other checks.. Checked for codes etc and found nothing. Told them that I was concerned if engine oil was leaking into the engine block.. But then there would be white smoking coming out of the exhaust and the sensors would pick this up...and the engine light and Oil pressure light would lit up on the dashboard.
What a relief!! I've done 1.8k and will wait for another 1k to see if the smell is still there. Will post updates here of course.