Hot...hot...hot smell
 

OK, I guess it's my turn for a quirky ZL1 issue.

I was stopped at a signal light on my way home last Sunday and I noticed a smell coming into the car. I didn't think that it was coming from my car and it cleared up when I hit the open road. The car was running OK...oil pressure and engine temp was OK - 210-212.

When I pulled into the garage, the smell was really strong. I left the car run a popped the hood. It didn't really seem to be coming from the engine compartment. The smell seemed to be coming more from the center of the car, but by then the garage was pretty much filled with the smell and it was difficult to pin point. It smelled like a combo of hot rubber and clutch/brake pad (got to use your imagination on that one) and not like oil. I checked the rotors and they didn't seem hot.

Maybe something in the cats???

Like others on this forum, I totally hate to go to the dealership and with this not being something that they can see that is broken, my confidence in them finding the problem without it being a long process is not good.

OK...done crying. I guess I will man up and head out for the dealership.

How many miles on your car?

1200 miles.

I get a rubber burning smell myself every time I park it in my garage after driving it. I kind of assume its the tires but half the time im not really beating on it. I have also not seen any evidence of anything else burning/melting. Maybe time will tell.

Is your car a auto or el manual? Mine is a manual

Same question, manual? If so, you may have rode the clutch just a tad longer, which can temporarily produce a sort of rubber/odd burning smell.

The new clutches on these cars seem to have the burning smell for about 1000 miles or so. Mine did when new and at about 800 miles it stopped. I haven't smelled it since.

The smell is weird...it's clutch/brake with a hint of rubber.

When I first noticed it we had been open road driving and came to the signal light in a small town. I live about 4 miles into the country...so that was pretty much open road driving also before I garaged it. Normal two-lane cruising...60-65 mph with a few short "burst" from time to time.

Like I said, not liking going to the dealership. So, I will run it for a while and see what happens.

Clutch could be sticking if it's a manual

Forgot to answer the question. It is an M6.

My 2013 (3k miles) has done it for some time. Something is burning - and its not the clutch. Even get it driving on the highway sometimes. It seems to have gotten a little milder recently.

-- Lee

I get this sometimes too, seems to be more prevent lent when I am getting on it and braking pretty good. Could be they rubber isolator on the drive shaft rubbing the exhaust, belt slippage or exhaust...I never did run it down.

Might want to check under the car to see if some thing plastic (bag) got stuck to a hot area and started to melt/burn. I had that happen to me once, (not my camaro), easy enough to rule out. Good luck and let us know if you pinpoint the reason for the smell.