GWM Haval Jolion Engine Problems

Any time you have a burning smell in a car, you have a potential fire. If something is hot enough that you can smell it, it’s possibly hot enough to burst into flames, especially if it contacts a fuel or oil leak somewhere on the car.

The fact that the smell occurs when going uphill suggests that it’s something in the driveline (engine or transmission) that’s getting hot because it’s working hard. It could also be a cable or hose that’s incorrectly routed too close to something that’s getting hot (like the exhaust) and causing the smell. In any case, the answer to your question is no, it’s not normal and it needs investigating.

Sometimes, a new exhaust system will create the odd strange smell as it heats up the first couple of times this shouldn’t be happening after 9000km. You need to take the car back to where you bought it from and have the dealership fix this before a real fire takes hold, or something important melts and stops working.

There could be any number of reasons for this from an electrical or a mechanical point of view. Since the car is under warranty, why not tackle your Haval dealership with the problem as, legally, it’s their responsibility to put right.

But on another level, are you sure the vehicle is not using its electric motor to help power the vehicle? The transition between petrol, electric and a combination of the two can be pretty hard to pick sometimes, especially in newer vehicles with smoother engines and better sound-proofing. In fact, the Jolion Hybrid has been praised in road tests for the seamless way it transitions between petrol and electric power, so maybe because you’re not feeling or hearing this transition, it appears to be not happening, even when it is.

Most of a modern car’s systems are now sealed which means you shouldn’t find any fluids under the car, with one possible exception. And that would be some water from the air-conditioning system. One of the things air-con does is de-humidifies the air passing through it (which is why it’s so good for demisting fogged-up windows). The result of that is that the water from the atmosphere removed by the A/C has to go somewhere, and that somewhere is usually on to the ground via a vent that stops the water collecting inside the cabin. However, this vent is more likely to be located under the dashboard or perhaps under the front seats, not the rear of the vehicle.

Don’t rule out, either, a simple case of rainwater which has collected somewhere along the chassis and drains out when you pull up for the night. Did you drive through a puddle just before parking the car? That could explain the liquid, too.

Given the liquid is clear and has no smell means it probably is water, but make sure you check the levels of everything else on the vehicle and keep an eye on them to make sure you don’t have a problem. And that includes the water reservoir for the windscreen washers.

Meantime, don’t forget that a fluid leak is a warranty issue for Haval to deal with.