Just wondering - the GSR I test drove yesterday was giving off a very strong burning smell from the engine bay which was getting into the cabin. The car had 190 miles on it and it was not the clutch. The salesman said it was like that for all newly shipped EVOs (oils) and would burn off. When I opened the hood you could smell it coming from under the upper IC pipe in front of the engine.

Anyone have this experience?

 

Dude I took a 10 MR off the lot for a spin. Same thing. It's just the gook burning off. My IX MR smelled like that for about 2 days and had 3 miles on it off the lot.

 

I think it'd be pretty hard to rule out the clutch, even if you didn't personally abuse it. You took it out for a test drive, so it wasn't yours. There have been a couple posts that have stated if you abuse the clutch in even the slightest, it'll burn for a good long time, spanning even several start-ups. Plus, if the clutch wasn't bedded properly it could give off a burning smell regularly as it wears incorrectly. Of course, maybe you said it wasn't the clutch because you know what a burning clutch smells like .

It's common for exhaust components to give off a burning smell when new, and I know mine did, but I never had a burning smell from the engine bay. I'd be a little concerned. It could be the header, I suppose, but it'll be hard for you to tell. That's what you'd want to determine.

 

New car. Will have all kinds of smells, from the catalytic burning off, to the exhaust clutch and brakes.

 

i am a mechanic at a new car dealer and all of the cars have that smell it is normal dont worry about it

 

+1

 

190miles on new car = rape IMO, The burning smell is from abusing on test drives. Sales man don't give a **** when comes to selling the car. heck i floored when i was testing it and it was ok with the salesman. You will need new clutch for sure sooner than you think.

 

There is a protective coating to keep stuff from rusting. Its just burning off. It freaked me out in my 2003 Evo VIII when it was new and the Evo X had the same smell.

 

used to be a lot attendant at a dealership when i was a kid and drove new cars off the truck all day. Almost all of them tend to give off an odd burning smell from the engine bay, but i certainly wouldnt rule out abuse to a 190mi demo that you drove. those cars get hammered on by the lot attendants, dealers, and customers. trust me, the lower the miles the better

 

agreed.
I learned to drive stick as a lot attendent on brand new Pontiac Fiero GT's, not pretty, but the salesmen didn't care...

kinda pissed my Evo had 97 miles on it, supposedly only two supervised test drives?? Must have been long ones~

 

I guess you haven't owned many cars when they were brand spankin new?

 

Holy shi t, pontiac fiero GT?!? You must be old jp.

 

My car came off the truck and I didn't even let the Mitsu guys PDI it. I had major clutch stench for the first few weeks in any spirited driving. It all went away shortly after that and the car performed great and never smelled badly.

 

My car got 11k miles on it and i still smell the clutch. I don't think its burnt because it isn't slipping I think it got a glaze on it for the previous driver.

 

2+ year old thread. I thank you for reviving it.