I was at a freinds house for a few hours tonight and when I got outside I noticed a faint burning plastic small but htought nothing of it until I got home in my garage where I noticed the same smell.

I cannot pinpoint the location of the smell but I know it is there.

Has anyone had this experience? If so where was it coming from. I know I am not crazy... but just to make sure I have gone back into the garage after 20 minutes and still discover the same burning plastic smell (I know you pyros from days of old know what I am talking about). I have sniffed the entire car both inside and out and dont find anything. I am really worried that whe I wake up tomorrow I am going to find that the car wont start and I have some serious problem.

Any ideas?

 

Minis are sprayed with a protective wax like coating prior to shipment. The vehicle prep center doesn't always get all of the coating off so on a new car, that's probably what the smell is. My 05 MCS had this smell for the first week of driving.

 

I have had the car for 4 weeks now (3500 miles) and tis is the first time I have smelled the burning plastic. Is this still possible? I would love for your explanation instead of some wiring harness now melting to nothing in my car leaving me stranded tomorow. Boy will it be a long day if that is the case

 

check underneath! Could be a plastic bag caught somewhere in the exhaust

 

CustomAV, I had a plastic shopping bag get under our MINI. Damn thing wrapped ALL the way around the cat. converter. Good time to work on your hole shots....burn that stuff off.

 

"I love the smell of burning plastic in the morning"

 

Wow - gives a whole new meaning to "new car smell"!

 

Well the burning smell is gone and I have no idea what it was. I can only surmise that it was a plastic bag or such as mentioned by some of you caught under the car....

Thanks for the tips

 

This happened to me all the time with my DelSol. I lost count how many times it happened. The car would smell for weeks every time. I got to where I would swerve across 3 lanes just to avoid the bag. Since then I've been driving an Escape so I just run over them and they haven't got caught.

I haven't come across any in the girlfriends Mini but the day will come. I'll really watch out when I get my Mini in; hate that smell.

Brad

 

I have noticed a burning smell come from my MC after hard driving. It doesn't smell of plastic but it does smell. I have been told its a smell from the CAT. Whatever it is I only notice it after some hard driving.

 

I have that smell too... comes from the tailpipe.. just picked the car up yesterday... I can smell it in the tailpipe...I am betting it is the new cat breaking in and/or any corrosion coatings in the catback...

 

I've had my car for a week (680 miles) and that smell just went away!


(I miss it)


Ryan

 

Been "victimized" by the dreaded plastic bag as well. Was wrapped around the tailpipe, and I kept smelling it burning after I'd get out of the car. It gets real hard after a few driving cycles, and was a bear to scrape/sand off. Most of it is now gone, but there's still a little on top of the pipe, that "leeches" out every now and then.

Thought I was going crazy when it first occurred; checked "everywhere" until I realized that the prime heat generatror was under the car. That's when I found it.

 

no plastic bag for me.... the car is still new and the smell is faint now after driving around this weekend...

From my MA when I asked him about this...

" [size=2]You should have that smell for the first 100 miles or so. It is a coating they put on the exhaust system for shipping. It is burning off right now. It shouldn't last much longer as long as you get out there and motor!"
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