Plano Auto Repair

That sweet, almost syrupy smell in the driveway or at a stoplight is not just “old car smell.” It is one of the earliest warnings your cooling system gives you before things get expensive. If you can smell antifreeze, coolant is already escaping somewhere, and the system will not magically seal itself back up. What That Sweet Coolant Smell Really Means Coolant, often called antifreeze, is a mix of water and chemicals that raises the boiling point, lowers the freezing point, and protects metal surfaces inside the engine. It is made with a distinct sweet odor, so leaks are easier to notice. When you catch that smell, some of that fluid has left the closed system and landed on a hot engine part, exhaust component, or is drifting into the cabin vents. Sometimes the leak is tiny, just enough to create a faint scent on warm days. Other times it lands on very hot metal and turns into light vapor you can smell around the front of the car. Your nose often picks ... read more