If you're driving along and suddenly notice a bad odor coming from your car, you shouldn't ignore it. Use these tips from the pros at Cerberus Systems, Inc. in Chambersburg to figure out what that smell is telling you.

Learn What These Odors Mean

A strange smell in your car may not a huge red flag for you. You may think you just forgot to throw away some old food or left your lunch in your car one too many days. However, some smells can be a sign of trouble. Rather than ignoring a new smell, get to the bottom of it and prevent damage to your car.

Give your car a synthetic oil change in Chambersburg to keep your engine in great shape. Contact Cerberus Systems, Inc. at (717) 658-1256 to learn all about their quality AMSOIL Oil products. You can also stop by their online shop to browse their products.

Rotting Eggs or Sulfur

When you smell rotting eggs, it's a good idea to double-check that you haven't left any eggs in your hot car. Once you're sure that the smell isn't coming from actual eggs, then it may be time to get your catalytic converter checked. This part works to turn hydrogen sulfide into sulfur dioxide in the engine's exhaust, which is where this smell may originate. When things are working properly, you won't smell this at all. However, if there's something wrong with this process, then the smell of sulfur may hit you. This smell can be quite terrible, so definitely get it checked out as soon as you can.

Something Sweet

If you're familiar with the coolant or antifreeze in your car, you may already know that it has a sweet smell. Don't let this smell deceive you since the coolant can actually be very toxic. This distinct sweet smell, however, can help you identify when there is an issue in your cooling system. A good first step when a sweet smell hits you while driving is to check your coolant. You may have a leak that will need to be repaired before your coolant level drops and your engine overheats. Even if you don't see obvious signs of a leak, it's important to get your cooling system checked out. The leak may be internal or there may be another issue leading to this smell.

The Smell of Burning Oil

This may be one of the easiest smells to identify in your car because the smell of burning oil is probably coming from your engine. You'll first want to check that your engine still has a good amount of oil in it. If the oil is low, your engine can overheat and cause that distinct burnt oil smell. If your oil is old, this can also lead to engine troubles and the scent of burning oil. Check to see if you have a leak and get this serviced as soon as you can so your engine doesn't get damaged. Keep in mind that even if you don't see a leak, there can be an internal one. A clear sign of this will be lots of smoke coming out of your car's exhaust pipe.

A synthetic oil change using AMSOIL's Signature Series 0W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil will help keep your car's engine in better shape. Contact the friendly oil pros at Cerberus Systems, Inc. at (717) 658-1256 to find more great products like this. You can also check out their online shop to place your order!

Is the Carpet Burning?

This is a very odd and particular scent, but it's definitely one to look out for. If it smells like your car's carpet is burning but you don't see a fire, it's likely coming from your car's brakes. Ensure you don't have your hand brake engaged while driving since this can cause it. Once you're sure it's not your hand brake, the next possibility is that you're using the brakes aggressively. This is common when driving downhill and can cause the brake pads to heat up. If this isn't the case, then your brake pads may be worn out and overheating. Get this fixed promptly to ensure you're safe while on the road.

Burnt Rubber

Finally, the most common cause of burnt rubber is your tires rubbing on the asphalt. If this hasn't happened then it's very likely a rubber part under the hood coming into contact with a metal part. It can get very hot under the hood of your car, causing the metal parts to heat up. Ideally, these shouldn't be touching any rubber parts as they can heat them up and melt them. When things are cool, check under your hood to see if you can identify what rubber part is being heated up so that you can fix this issue.

Keep your car's engine at its best with a synthetic oil change in Chambersburg. Contact the pros at Cerberus Systems, Inc. at (717) 658-1256 to learn more about their products or place your order. You can also browse their online shop for even more great products.