2005 1/2 new body style Jetta 2.5 auto 50K - sudden smell of plastic or wax. NOT RUBBER. I know what tires smell like, fuel, oil, etc., this is distinctly a plastic or melting wax smell. No warning lights, noises or performance issues. Anyone experience this? Venture a guess?

 

your car doesn't happen to be black does it? well i think i have your answer. the smell is actually wax in your door panels and other body parts. when these parts are shipped for assembly they protect the components by pakaging them with wax. the people who assemble them just don't bother to take the wax out. BASTARDS! when it gets hot enough the wax melts which makes your car smell like crayons. i know this because i have the same problem as well as some others on this web site. we have spoken on this topic before and we came to the conclusion that the best way to go is to just use an air freshener. just replace when needed. well hope this helps your mystery problem. oh and by tha way this makes no harmto you kar at all. of you see wax dripping out of your doors wipe it off cause it could fade your paint

 

The wax your talking about is cosmoline, it's sprayed
over the entire vehicle and inside the panels to protect
it from salt water, It does smell when it gets hot but
will not hurt anything, be glad it's on the vehicle you have
metal protection. the dealer washes the vehicles with
kerosene or other solivents to remove it from the out
side, but would be impossable to remove it from the
entire vehicle. It could be some has melted and driped
onto the exhaust under the car, this would give you
a good strong whiff of it.

 

Instead of using air fresherners try a spray bottle of
house hold ammonia, just spray a little inside the car on
the material fabrics, it doesn't hurt anything, it's the
main product used by pros to deodorize, but they keep
it a top secret, it works great and cost little, but you
pay big for the pros to do it. use it full strength.

 

wow! i guess i have no idea what it is i'm talking about. someone told me the whole packaging story on this forum. hmm... guess they were wrong. well thanx 4 tha info smokin' DOG.