Does your car smell like it is burning? Like it's smoky? What sort of burning smell does it have? Does it smell like rubber? Then it might be brake problems involved.
Your brakes when hot and melting can burn and emit a unique smell. This usually occurs while riding your brakes incorrectly or severely hard. It can also lead to a burning carpet as well.
Did you know that brake problems can lead to a carpet burning scent that smells like melting plastic and textile fibers? Thankfully, it's a rare occurrence. However, you probably want to know how to get rid of it when it does happen.
Things to Remember
- Regular Carpet Burning Smell: To clarify, the burning carpet smell in your car isn't because the car carpet is literally burning. This is instead usually a brake problem instead. If your carpet is burning, you should get it off of your car and potentially replace it. You should also investigate what could've caused it to burn. If the burning smells from your carpets are regularly reoccurring, you should take this seriously. The caliper piston of your brakes could have seized altogether, which causes the brakes to drag. When the caliper drags, it results in a smell that reeks of burning carpet.
- Checking The Brakes: When driving down a steep hill, slamming the brakes hard at that point will naturally result in extreme friction that can warp your brake pads and rotors. This leads to the emission of smoke from the inside to outside of your vehicle. When this occurs, you should do the following. The main solution to getting rid of carpet burning smell from your brakes is to get the piston caliper position correctly working. Don't use the hand brake either when driving, this can cause caliper piston dragging as well.
- The Dangers of Burning Carpet Smell: The dangers of burning carpet smell are myriad, chief among them breathing problems and lung issues. They're particularly dangerous among those who have severe allergies or asthma. If the smell comes from the outside of your vehicle, you can use a deodorizer in order to get rid of the smell. Those pine cone air fresheners can do the trick. You have the choice to either hide or mask the smell with perfume or get rid of it altogether with activated charcoal.
- Bring Your Car to the Mechanic: Bring your car to the mechanic's shop or garage post-haste if you're having problems with carpet burning smell or smoky smell from your vehicle due to your brakes. If it's more of a problem due to errant matchsticks or hair straightener end up burning your literal carpet, then you should remove the carpet from your car, open your doors to air the smell out, and then use air freshener or deodorizer to get rid of the remaining stench. You can also use an ozone generator to remove the scent.