What seems like a burning electrical smell
 

From inside the boot area (75 estate)…..a bit long sorry but trying to explain it.

It was yesterday when taking my mother shopping, on the way back after about a mile leaving Asda I had all the windows down a bit and the sunroof open (yes I have one on an 05 and love it :cool:).

Then started to smell something odd but quite strong, my mother's lost her sense of smell from a bad cold a few years ago so couldn't smell anything. I said my god somebody's burning something bad (as I though) so put the windows up but was still there but not as bad. After a couple of minutes put them down again a bit, and again this strong horrible smell by this time it was like electrical I think so put them back up. What worried her and me was that if it shorted something and locked the doors and we couldn't get out.

Anyway we got back and as soon I opened the tailgate to get the shopping the smell hit me and was bad, I checked all the electrics and they were fine and no warning lights. Earlier today I lifted the back seats while it was idling and smelt nothing inside but just a very faint smell of it in the boot again but nothing like yesterday.

It wasn't a diesel a rubber smell more electrical I think....sounds stupid but the only think I could think of was if a plastic bag or something got caught on the exhaust or the cat but seemingly they like rotten eggs and wasn't like that.

I know something like this very hard to diagnose without, well smelling it, I'm just wary incase it was poisonous.

I had a very similar experience last week with my tourer, the burning smell got so bad that i had to pull in to a layby to check. I believe the smell was the breakpads - the caliper seems to be sticking occasionally and the wheel was quite hot. Brakes have since been stripped and greased and its definately better but there is still an occasional squeal so i think I need to replace the piston. good luck with finding your issue. :)

Could well be brakes, go for a run then check to see if any brake is hot. ( careful to not get burnt!)

Shortly after buying my CDT 18months ago, as I locked the car, I noticed smoke rising from the boot. It turned out the number plate light circuit board had shorted and slightly burned the plastic light holders. There had obviously been a problem, because a burned out segment of 1 track had been bridged with wire. I made a similar repair, ensuring everything was properly insulated, and the light is still working properly, despite some deformation due to melting.

Cheers guys but I doubt it's that as it's not kind of smell i have many a car and bike through the years with binding brakes. There's no sticking rubbing or grinding ect plus it "rolls" free even on a slight hill. When finished i'll touch each wheel ect after a couple of miles.

MGJ.....yea i had sniff at the vets at the top where the wires are but nothing, the smell came straight out the boot when i lifted the tailgate to get the shopping. I also sniffed under the spare wheel board (don't know the right name for it) but again nothing, even sniffed the wee light under the board.

It has me stumpted..:shrug:

Cheers, i checked everything still worked when stopped ie doors lights windows roof and it did, no warning lights in the dash nothing. I check that later though.

Are you sure it wasn't some kind of carrier bag that stuck to the exhaust pipe. I had a Renault Clio diesel years ago that was very prone to collecting plastic bags underneath. Some did smell very much like an electrical fire.

That's what i said earlier Mike but didn't see anything on the road as i usually go round it or if i do go over something i always check behind when past whatever it is.

Further to my last, the smell that I had was akin to a burnt out clutch (that I can remember from many years ago) or burning plastic. The main time this happened, i was convinced something was on fire! I forgot to mention that this occasion was due to the handbrake shoe retaining pin coming adrift and the show fouling the inside of the brake disc. But i still have an intermittent problem despite fixing this first issue, which remains well attached. Hence my believing that the brake piston still is an issue.

I did a few miles earlier and so far no smell when driving and brakes (as I thought) are fine, well no binding rubbing ect. I forgot to open the tailgate or top glass but will do it shortly.