Rubber Smell

[Jim738]

I have a 2010 Scout. Every now and again I notice a burning rubber smell coming from the rear tyres. Sometimes one side sometimes both. I am not doing any silly driving etc and wondered if anyone had any suggestions?

[silver1011]

Is your Scout petrol or diesel?

There are several 'burning smell' threads from diesel owners as their car's DPF is going through it's regeneration process.

Are you sure it's coming from the rear?

Could the brakes be binding, are the wheels themselves warm to to the touch after a journey?

[Jim738]

Diesel scout. It mainly does motorway driving to and from work so I didn't think the regen would beca problem. It's only from the back wheels and definitely smells like rubber.

[silver1011]

Your Scout DPF will still regen with regular motorway driving but just less often.

If the engine is turned off just after or during the regen the fans will stay on.

Could this be blowing the hot burnt smelling air under and out the back of the car?

[Jim738]

I shall do a further sniff investigation when it next does it.

[Paul007]

If the engine is turned off just after or during the regen the fans will stay on.

The fan on my vRS CR stayed on the other day and the coolant level is fine so I wonder if that's what mine was doing ?

[The Skud]

I seems to be a 'charachtristic' of th octavia range, mk 1, 2 and FL, I had 2 Mk1 petrols ant they both did this, My 2010 CR does it as well, probably linked to rubber exhaust hangers or something very doubtful its a regen issue.

[Splooter]

Noticed this same issue a few times this week with my VRS. I was worried there was something rubbing on the inside wall of a tyre, or maybe an exhaust hanger was touching the exhaust and melting.

I took it round to a mate who's a mechanic and as soon as I said it was a smell of burning rubber he said it's probably a lump of road salt on the exhaust - apparently it gives off a rubbery smell when heated (he said there were load of people into where he works last winter worried about burning rubber smells - and it was always salt).

He put my car up on his ramp and checked underneath but we couldn't see anything wrong.

I googled it when I came home, and there are quite a few links which attribute burning rubber smells to road salt.

[gregoir]

Did you eliminate the brakes partly sticking on?

There are threads about the handbrake not releasing fully. After a run, cost to a stop and check ,cautiously, that the rear brakes are not warm.

[Jim738]

Did you eliminate the brakes partly sticking on?

There are threads about the handbrake not releasing fully. After a run, cost to a stop and check ,cautiously, that the rear brakes are not warm.

Ok. I'll try that tomorrow.