I've had my '12 Countryman for about 3 months now and just put 1.7k miles on it. But there has been some weird smells coming from the engine compartment. It's not noticeable outdoor, but definitely when I park it into the garage. I don't know how to describe what it smells like, it's not like rubber burning, but more like some kind of exhaust from under the hood. And today, 2 hours after I parked the car in the garage, I could still feel the heat coming from the engine compartment, I popped the hood, the coolant container was hot. Did anyone experience this? Is the smell normal for new car?

Thanks so much.

 

U might be burning the clutch up.....hinting that u describe the smell as "not rubber"

Burnt clutch smells like those little rc track cars!!

And it's a turbo engine......shitz crazy hot under the hood

 

Its a 2012... take it to the dealer and have it checked out.
It won't cost you anything and its better safe than sorry on a brand new car!

 

Thanks, Bakerbrdz, im sorry that i didnt specify that mine is automatic, I think it's probably not the clutch. But is it normal for cars to have smell come from the engine compartment?

 

Well mine smelled for about 1000 miles until it burned all the new car coating stuff off... Maybe it's just lasting longer?

Kyle

 

It is normal for the coolant and engine to retain quite a bit of heat after two hours. It is also common in my experience for new cars to give off unusual odors for a while. Various parts have anti-corrosion treatments that have volatile chemicals that vaporize to some extent when hot. If a part is close to the exhaust system it may give off an odor for a while. After a few thousand miles, especially with highway driving in warmer weather, these odors should dissipate.

In any case, if it is convenient, ask your service department to check it out for possible oil or other fluid leaks. Its a good idea to check your engine's oil level every fill up for the first few thousand miles.

 

Thanks guys. I think I will wait till it gets to the 2k mark and see if I can smell that. If so, I will call the dealer and ask them to check up the car for me. Thanks again guys.

 

My car's weird smell turned out to be a leak in the washer fluid reservoir. Fluid would leak on the hot parts under the bonnet and smells ensued from the 'cooked' liquid. Might not be your issue, but might be one to strike from the list of possibilities. Good luck!

 

On a brand new MINI (Any model), it takes a few hundred (some cases thousand) miles to burn off the protective coating they put on the engine/Hood panels/fender panels. The stuff is called "cosmoline" (Sp?). IMO it can smell similar to a clutch burning, but it is not as pungent...its mostly noticeable when you come to a dead stop from driving...or when you park the car and walk by the bonnet area...you can almost never smell it while driving (in most cases i have encountered).

BUT...if you have any lingering doubts at all, always take it to your local mini dealer for a check up...They will take care of it under the new car warranty...if you have a really good dealer, the shop forman or adviser can take a look in the driveway before writing you up and let you know if you should be concerned or not.

Lupe

 

I had a similar problem on our 2011. I called the service department and they kind of dismissed it. I was actually concerned about the oil change frequency. That's another topic in itself.

Anyway the odor we had was like the smell of used oil after it's been sitting in the garage for a while. It seemed like every time it urned on the air form the outside I would notice it. Then winter came and it got worse. As soon as I would set to internal recirculation it would be fine.

Long story short the oil change service finally came up and I asked about the smell. They found a leak from a sensor which required a new gasket. This started a sequence of events which ended up requiring three separate repairs to the same problem. Our driveway got a nice new coat of oil on it, twice. A new oil pan, two tows and even one technician coming to the house to exchange the car.

After all that I could still smell the residue. So the next problem with the car, stalling and not holding an idle, and jerking in traffic leads me to the next service call. Finally the dealer takes pity on us and replaces the charcoal filter.

No smell! Only took a month of explanation and fifteen days in the shop!