I am having this burning smell come through my vents in my car lately. It smells like burnt rubber or something. It goes away when I turn off the heat and open a window for a second. It seems to happen when I punch the throttle and drive fast. It is a 2005 bmw 5 series. Any ideas?
Could also be a minor leak of coolant (ethylene glycol) from your heater core into the heater/aircondioning system. This gives a burning smell and would explain why the smell goes when your heater is turned off. MAny of this type of leak are very minor and does not always show quickly in the coolant level.
Usually this is a major sort of repair.
But the other suggestions of electrical short or belt rubbing are also valid suggestions. The heating/AC system usually has its intake just in front of the windscreen , sometimes under the bonnet and smells can enter from there when the AC or heater vents are open.
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