What Is That Strange Smell??

Once that new car smell wears off it can be a struggle to keep your car smelling fresh. It doesn’t help if you have pets or forget about that half-full cup of coffee. Those are smells you can easily identify, but what if you smell something weird? Some smells, and even some sounds, hint at a problem with your car. Here are some of the odd things you may hear or smell in your car and what you need to do to get things back to normal. A STRANGE CAR SMELL Must or mold If your call smell is musty or moldy, then you may have a problem with a water leak. It could be as simple as having accidentally left a window open in the rain or it could be something bigger. Run your hand across the floor mats to check for damp spots and if you find one, make an appointment to have it checked out. AAA can help you find a reputable auto repair shop that can figure out where the water is coming from and fix the problem to get rid of the musty smell. Burnt toast A car smell like burnt toast may make you hungry – and it could be a sign of burning insulation. This often happens if there’s an electrical short in your car. It’s a job for the pros so contact your local AAA Store or AAA Approved Auto Repair location to schedule an appointment. An experienced technician can figure out what is causing the smell and repair any electrical short before it causes more significant damage to your car. Rotten eggs Sometimes you smell this in your car, but more often it’s something you’ll notice outside your car. This noxious odor indicates you have a problem with your catalytic converter or possibly your emissions system. Schedule an appointment to have this repaired and the car smell will go away. Some states require emissions testing as a part of annual inspections. Letting this repair wait will cause a problem when it’s time for that inspection so don’t put it off.