p-cardriver

I am concerned about a burnig rubber-like smell that my 2006 cayman s has after a drive. I have 11,000 miles on the car and it does not use oil. My husband thinks it is just new car exhaust, but I think it has too many miles for it to be still going on. It did not smell when I first got the car. I notice the smell when I get out of the car, but it dissipates quickly. any thoughts?

P-cardriver

FTS

very common to all P-cars I know of; it is especially strong after I get my car from delear service.

Renn 951

I don't know that it is common on all P-cars, but I understand it is common on Boxster/Cayman mid-engine cars. I notice it on mine - more so by the right side vents (engine compartment heat outlet) than the drivers side vents (air intake) but still often noticeable immediately after getting out of the car.

If you're not burning oil and the odor goes away quickly I wouldn't worry about it.

Budweiser

From OTHER Posts
"Depending on how well your car was prepped, you might still have some residual cosmoline burning off on yours. I'd suggest watching the oil level - if isn't gradually dropping, things are probably fine. If the smell doesn't get fainter and disappear in the next 400 miles or so, I'd suggest taking it in to the dealer"
"Bingo. I would bet you are smelling the cosmoline burning off. Mine had that smell for at least 4,000 miles. I have 5,000 miles now, and I rarely smell it. I miss it actually..... It smells terrible, but it reminded me of my first days in my Cayman. I wonder if I can get them to spray more on my engine"

Budweiser

From Other Posts

"after conservative driving I notice a burning smell from the rear, not the brakes. But almost like there is something plastic burning in the engine. No its not the clutch. Not driving with the E brake on. Is this normal for mid engine. It almost seems like it cant cool down. The temp stays at 175. My wife noticed it "your car always smells like its burning" Not even pushing the car driving fast or anything. Just a 45mph cruise to get gas. Anyone else noticed this? I have 4,000 miles on her

search for "cosmoline." Mine still smells like that after just over 20k..."

bet

Every Porsche I have owned (986, 993, 996 and now CS) have all made the "burning/hot" smell under different condtions...even the 996 did it with 78k miles. I personally consider it the "porsche smell" and don't worry about it (it doesn't happen every time I drive the car). Cosmoline likes to be thrown out as the culprit and I might agree with a car with few miles on it, but I have a hard time believing that with 78k miles on a car (i.e. the 996 I owned). Other explanations....winter tires driven hard, brakes used hard, clutch, rubber bits from the tires/road thrown up on the hot exhaust melting, heat build up from the engine configuration, etc.....They all seem plausible. The end result is unless you are seeing smoke and/or noticing oil lose, don't worry about. If you are just one of those people who worry, your car is still under the factory warranty, take it to the dealer for a check up. Other smells like the sweet smell of burning coolant (common with cracked/failing coolant over flow which is common but not in a new car like yours) is not normal and should be checked out.

Last thought...I noticed you are located in Michigan. Do you have winter tires on on the CS? My 996 and CS both make the burning rubber/hot smell much more frequently with the winter tires than they do with summer tires even under cold conditions. I have determined and/or decided to live with the idea that the rubber compounds on the winter tires produce this smell when driven rather aggressively .

joel-cs

One of my favorite smells - it means I have been driving my Porsche

p-cardriver

Bet, yes we are driving on winter tires so perhaps that's it, although we did smell it all summer, too. Thought it was just new car smells (bought it used with 3k miles on it), but at 11k miles that seems unlikely now.

Thanks to all of you for the input- seems I've got no reason to worry. But next time we're by the dealer we'll have them sniff around to be sure.

p-cardriver

Macster

You may have a long wait. It is not uncommon for me to get out of my '02 Boxster and smell a hot engine/tires/exhaust system/drivetrain that smells very much like the car did after I first bought it.

And my Boxster has over 180,000 miles on it.

Mid-engine cars tend to have hot engine compartments and the engine and its exhaust system sits in a particularly dirty place. Front tires kick up all sorts of dirt and even for the Boxster/Cayman the electric radiator fans can raise no little dirt when running and the car moving at slow speed.

If anything like a piece of paper, cigarette pack wrapper, any of the ever increasing amount of trash present on roadways touches hot engine and especially hot exhaust you will very likely smell this later when you shut off the engine, especially if in an inclosed -- garage for instance -- space. Even in the open under a carport or a parking space at work, if no wind by the time I walk around car to passenger's side to unload my laptop I sometimes catch a whiff of a vaguely oil/hot rubber/plastic smell. If the streets are wet then the smell has a more ozoney like quality to it, no doubt from the water splashed up on the exhaust pipes.

As long as vital fluids remain at the same level/correct, the engine exbibits no other symptoms, an occasional hot engine smell is nothing to worry about and will -- if you're lucky -- be a characteristic of the car for as long as you own it.

Enjoy.

Sincerely,

Macster.