When your car’s cabin starts to smell sweet or like something is burning when you run heating/cooling, that’s a sign that it’s time to get your coolant flushed. If you think you can just power through the smell to save money, you’re running the risk of your vehicle breaking down due to overheating. Coolant doesn’t just help adjust the temperature in your cabin—it also works to reduce heat levels in the engine and radiator. If that coolant is compromised by age, debris, or anything else that ensures it’s not working properly, then you’re risking some costly damage.
What causes coolant to get to the point where it stops working properly or causes an odor in your car cabin? It’s mostly due to the natural aging of the liquid and rust from the engine’s parts. The coolant can pick up some of that rust and debris from the engine as it circulates, which could even cause a blockage if it’s thick enough. If it’s not the right consistency to keep your engine from overheating, then you’ll start to smell something burning, which could end up with you being stuck on the side of the road. If the smell is sickly sweet, there is almost like a blockage in the coolant system that is causing a leak.
Overall, it’s a good rule of thumb to get your coolant flushed out every two years. If you can smell it before that date, your car overheats easily, or it’s not cooling/heating up at a reasonable rate, then it’s time to call your local auto shop.