My 2nd problem so far....

I had been noticing a burning smell after getting home from drives recently. Today it was REALLY bad. I smells like burning rubber and is coming from the driver side rear wheel well. I checked the tires and they are not rubbing on anything. I have recently changed to my winter wheels and tires , but the smell was there before with the OEM wheels and tires . I left the car at my local dealer tonight to be looked at tomorrow, but am fearful as to what they will say. It is still under extended warranty ( 2006 Cayman S with 31,000 miles on it). I also am going to have them change out the passenger side fog light bulb. I noticed today that the light wasn't on when the lights were used as DRL's, but works fine when I have them on as fog lights. The service manager says it is a two filament bulb so I am assuming that one of the filaments has burned out. Any thoughts on the burning smell?

That's a weird one definitely. I wonder if it's possible for a plastic bag or some other object to get flung up and caught in the engine area and is now burning with the heat? I hope the dealer resolves this quickly for you.

So do I, thanks. I hope it is something that simple.

Just a thought - Have them check the power steering reservoir... I brought my car back from the last LV region DE in the middle of Nov, put it on the battery maintainer. last week, I backed it out of the garage and there was a puddle of fluid a foot-and-a-half in diameter on the floor under the motor. It was PS fluid - when I took the car to the dealer, I could hear the PS pump straining every time I turned the wheel. And, by the time I get there (only 2.5 miles and three turns), the motor was hot enough that the whole thing smelled pretty bad. Turned out the PS fluid reservoir had cracked - not heat related the service manager said, they've seen a few crack like that. brad

I will bring that to their attention, thanks.

Please keep us posted. It does sound strange. -Moto

I have smelled the same thing with my car so please let us know what you find out. Could it be belts? Maybe a pulley is dragging? Just a thought - sometimes road tar will get flung onto the catalytic converter. When the road tar burns/melts it will make that smell. I have had it happen with my BMW motorcycle . . . which has a catalytic converter.

I do hope its just a plastic bag...

They replaced the bulb under warranty and found a "left side final drive seal seeping slightly". They replaced the seal and checked the bearing and refilled diff again under warranty. As for the burning smell, the dealership claims that they get quite a few Mercedes and a few Porsches that come in complainig about it this time of year and they attribute it to the non-icing fluid that is put down on the roads around here. They claim that it gets onto the exhaust systems and burns. We will see about that over the next week or so.

My wife's Mercedes had that burning smell about two weeks ago but we don't put non-icing fluid on our roads. I'm still voting for something like tar or rubber.

I have the same smell!!!! It comes and goes, but it started when it got cold outside.... and yes, it smells like burned rubber coming from the driver's side rear well.

^And the plot thickens......

Have an 06 CS with stock rubber and 20k miles. Have had the same rubber smell from the rear wheel wells since it was new to me at 16k over 6 months ago. No problems have been found and no leaks noted. Have seen similar discussions on this site with many similar complaints so have not made a big deal of it. Think the final conclusion was tires . As far as the deicing theory, don't think Florida DOT uses that brand for the snow and ice we get .

The Caymans are covered in cosmoline, a corrosion inhibitor and that stuff smells like burning plastic as it burns off. I smelled it burning off of mine for about 6,000 miles.

^ that would apply to me, but many folks here have a lot more miles on the clock and still get that smell, you would think that stuff would be burned off after 30K + miles....

I still get a slight smell when I turn the heater on. The car is a 2008 with over 18000 miles on it.

All Porsches give off that smell of burning rubber after long or spirited drives. Learn to love it like I do. It's the smell of a happy engine.:drivingskid:

My '07 new to me since 12/23/09 gives off a similar odor. I believe that this is simply the odor from a hot engine and that, given how the mid engine is covered and located, the odor comes out the wheel well(s). The owner's manual states, after a long or spirited drive (see the previous reply above) to achieve best cooling let the engine idle for 2 minutes prior to shutting down. Although I think about wasted gasoline as the price is rising quickly again, I do it and the odor does seem less versus when I forget.

^O.K., I guess it's normal.

I spoke with the service dept at my dealer today. I noticed the smell shortly after getting the '09 Boxster I was concerned that I was dragging the clutch. Service mngr said: 1- It's the right side because that's the real vent, the other side is a dummy. 2- It's the cosmoline and normal engine smell.

The left side intake is actually the combustion air intake which leads to the air filter, not a "dummy" according to your service manager. Porsche would not make a "dummy" anything on their cars. The company motto I think is "form follows function".

The Left side is the Drivers side.

Wow, what a coincedence!! Tonight after a 200+ mile journey at an average speed of 80mph, I too noticed the "burning rubber" smell. This was my '07 CS first big outing after a few weeks off over the Christmas period and the first time I've noticed that smell. On the passenger side (left hand side,UK) the area around the rear tyre was quite hot and smelt rubbery. The driver side (right hand side, UK again!!) rear tyre area was cold and had a very faint smell of rubber (which I put down to having my nose too close to the tyre!!). From the previous posts it seems quite common, but why only on the left side and not both? Also, thanks to those who have offered reasons/suggestions as to the cause of it. I feel slightly reassured that it's (perhaps) nothing to worry about....at the moment. Thanks

Left side is the air intake for the engine. This seems to be why the odor comes from the left side. I believe the Right side is just to cool the breaks.

There is a very nice curvy, flat, fast road :banana: that leads to my house, about 1/4 mile away. When I come home that way, which I do quite often, my CS has a very hot burning smell coming from it. I just shut it off and smile as I walk away... When I come home a different way or there is some pedestrian on "My racetrack" it smells normal. :burnout:

Further update. Although I felt the smell discussed is typical to normal driving, being the cautious new owner I made a trip to the dealer today. Vision Porsche, in Reading, PA, is a pretty great place so far. Although the tech smelled and advised it is just a normal, warm engine odor, he took it and put it up on the lift to do a good visual inspection for any any obvious leaks or other issues that could contribute (my salesman, Chris Halvin, who suggested stopping by for peace of mind saw the car and stopped as well) and found nothing. They were gracious and fully supportive of my "paranoia". I believe this should give the other thread followers peace of mind. My wife and I were on our way within 20 minutes. The car has been performing flawlessly since I took ownership 12/23. Today was an absolutely gorgeous day in PA, so the 34 mile trip to the dealership gave us the excuse to enjoy a good drive, plus visit our granddaughters, who live in Reading.

I had the same issue. After picking up the car from winter storage the power steering pump made a loud whining noise when the wheel was turned. I drove the car home and called the dealer. The next morning I found a puddle of power steering fluid on the garage floor. The dealer diagnosed and repaired a cracked power steering reservoir and a melted power steering hose.