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Why Does My Car Smell like Maple Donuts?

When it's coming from your kitchen or dining table, the sweet smell of maple syrup is amazing and inviting. But if the same smell comes from your car, it indicates trouble. Generally, the syrup smell is not unpleasant. But when you smell this syrup in your car, it signals a coolant leak.

Coolant plays a highly critical role in your vehicle. It circulates in the engine, heater core, hose, and radiator regulating the temperature to prevent overheating. It also helps in providing heat for your defrosting and cabin heating systems. When the coolant leaks, the amount circulating in your car significantly decreases, which is not good for your engine.

How It Works

The coolant fluid, a mixture of antifreeze and water, has specific chemical elements that draw heat out of your car's engine. The withdrawn air is transferred to heat your cabin or for defrosting. The coolant also contains anti-corrosive components that protect your car parts.

What happens If You Drive with Little Coolant

If you have a coolant leak and keep driving, the amount required for cooling is significantly lowered. This is harmful because you risk overheating your engine. When your car engine overheats, the damage can be irreversible. Any driver or car owner knows that it's costly to repair or replace it when such damage happens.

Don't ignore the smell of maple syrup in your car or confuse it with your takeout box. It can save you from severe car damage when prompt action is taken.

What You Should Do

It's vital to understand that your car has a complex system that keeps it functional. But within this sophisticated setup, car manufacturers make it easy to identify when repairs or regular servicing is required. In particular, your dashboard comes with numerous light indicators showing the problem or where to check.

Still, make sure you understand other signals that don't appear on your dashboard, like the smell of maple syrup. However, if you smell, hear, or suspect something wrong with your car, it's recommended to seek professional help. For instance, when you smell maple syrup in your car, please bring it to our experts for quick repair.

Also, if you need regular servicing for your vehicle, we invite you to Jeff's Automotive today. Our experts will guide you on routine maintenance and fix other problems.