Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

[William_F]

My wife and I test drove a used car tonight at a car lot. We really liked, and overall the car seems to be in good shape. As go the horror stories we so often hear, they did a less than perfect job of detailing it before hand as was evident by the bird doo etchings, slightly cloudy head lights and a few other items that caught my attention. Of course, I am not above using those easily corrected items to my advantage in the negotiations.

Anyway...after the test drive was over and I got out of the car, I noticed a faint, burn chemical smell. I popped the hood on the car to check and see if oil or any other fluids might have leaked under the hood. There were literally puddles of what appeared to be dressing on the intake manifold.

I'm wondering if that is likely the source of the smell? I didn't see any other signs of fluid spillage under the hood and it was obvios that some had dressed the engine bay, albeit poorly. Thinking they just drowned the sucker in the ALL stuff....

[Murr1525]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

It could certainly contribute.....

There may or may not be other causes in the car.

[William_F]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

I'm hoping that's all there is, but we plan on getting the warranty our bank has offered with the car if we buy it. It's a bumper to bumer 3/36 zero deductible that would hopefully cover it if we buy and it turns out to be something more.

[Murr1525]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

Incidently, if it is in liquid form, the solvent is still there, so if it is oil based, could be flammable if it gets hot enough.

[William_F]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

Guess we'll make sure to take some MF's when/if we take delivery so we can wipe it down

[kimchiyuk]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

Many times when a dealer, or any prep shop, details(I use this term VERY loosely) under the hood they don't really clean it first. They liberally spray "something" shiny all over the place and don't soak up the excess. Many people who look at car don't even pop the hood, probably mostly because they don't even know what they're looking at to begin with. If they do look under the hood, they just see it all shiny and think it's great for the five seconds they check it out for!

[William_F]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

Turns out the car appears to have major electrical issues. That could very easily explain the burnt smell. We broguht the car home with the intent of having our mechanic check it out tomorrow, but I think I'm going to save my money and just take the car back.

I don't mind spending a little to get a few minor things done when I buy a used car, but I think this biting off more than I can chew and I just don't feel like dealing with the hassels.

[kimchiyuk]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

Turns out the car appears to have major electrical issues. That could very easily explain the burnt smell. We broguht the car home with the intent of having our mechanic check it out tomorrow, but I think I'm going to save my money and just take the car back.

I don't mind spending a little to get a few minor things done when I buy a used car, but I think this biting off more than I can chew and I just don't feel like dealing with the hassels.

Smart choice! Electrical problems can turn out to be long term nightmares! Plus, that may very well be why the last owner got rid of the car.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

Good move. If it has major issues, there is no easy fix. It always seems with electrical issues, one thing leads to another. So on and so forth. You are better off getting a different car. Hope the next car you pick is a winner.

[William_F]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

I did indeed pick another car. The problem car was an '06 PT Cruiser Touring and the one we ended up buying is a '06 PT Cruiser Limited Edition. It's very similar to the problem car (same color exterior and interior) but has a few more options and lower mileage (43K).

The one we're getting hasn't been detailed at all. The paint is swirled and there are some stains on the upholstery and the the engine bay is dusty. Believe it or not, I'm excited to get my hands on the car and take what I've learned here to make the car all it can be.

There is some minor paint damage on the hood and fender with a bit of rust. I'm going to have a micro body repair guy come out and repair those areas for me and then the car is getting a full detail.

[CieraSL]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

Have at it buddy! Make sure you get us some before and after pics!

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

Enjoy your new to you car. Hope to see a write up on it soon. Good luck with it. Congrats.

[William_F]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

Thanks guys!

I'll do a full write up w/ pics on it so I can show you all that answering my questions has not been in vain

I'm going to have a little PDR and paint touch up work done before I do the detail. What good is perfectly polished and protected paint if the look is ruined by a dent and a little rust, right?

[CieraSL]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

If any areas of the car are being repainted, make sure you don't wax those areas, as they will need 30 - 90 days for the paint to out-gas. You can correct any swirl marks and scratches in those areas and apply a pure polish (like #7) if you wish, just be careful, especially if you don't know how thick the newly painted area is. Just an FYI.

[William_F]

Re: Excess Dressing on Engine=Burnt Smell?

If any areas of the car are being repainted, make sure you don't wax those areas, as they will need 30 - 90 days for the paint to out-gas. You can correct any swirl marks and scratches in those areas and apply a pure polish (like #7) if you wish, just be careful, especially if you don't know how thick the newly painted area is. Just an FYI.

This is exactly why the wife's truck is in need of some TLC. Half of it was just repainted two weeks ago. The weather has been dreadful and we were out of town a week as well, but mostly waiting for the paint to be ready