I just took my car in to the dealership for the recall reflash and some other minor stuff and I just decided to get my oil change there since it was almost time anyway.

After I picked up the car, I drove around town for about 10 minutes and I started to notice a burning smell and when I was stopped at a red light, I saw smoke coming out of the engine bay. Not too much, but visible. So I pulled over and popped the hood and saw the smoke was coming from the part of the engine bay that's closest to the passenger seat, so where the washer fluid is located. Also, I noticed that the shifter boot and the cup holders were getting warm...

I called Mazda and they said they were closing in 5 minutes so I couldn't take the car in, but they said it's probably "leftover oil burning up".

I think they might not have refilled the engine coolant or something, but do you guys have any ideas about what is causing this issue? And what should I do to fix the issue?

PS: I know I should search but I just wanted to see if someone could post a quick answer to the question...

 

oil dripped on the engine when the filter was changed

 

Sounds like oil dipped on the engine during the oil change and now burning off. With the car running check for leaks by the oil filter and then turn off the car let sit 5 minutes and check your oil level. The cup holders will always get hot. If your oil filter was leaking it would be smoking a lot.

 

1.) Most likely they spilled oil when they changed the filter and it's not that big of a deal....but.......

2.) You need to check your oil level in the morning and make sure it's okay.

3.) Check to make sure that the oil filter is tight. Yes, it's tough to get at but reach in there and make sure it's tight.

4.) Look for oil around where the filter neck is. Take a rag and wipe around and see if you get any.

5.) After the car is parked for the night, get underneath and look where the drain plug is. Wipe that down and then see if it is seeping out. Might take awhile to see a drip.

6.) It's not coolant......but you should check your level when the car is cool. Look at your bottle, it should have some in it and probably does. It's hard to see but there is a full line on it......on the side.

 

Thanks for the quick replies
And yeah I know the cupholder always gets hot but it was warmer than usual so I was worried

 

Then..........if once you find that they just spilled some oil, call them up and call them idiots and tell the service manager they need to be more careful and you didn't appreciate it.

 

yeah most likely when they took the filter off it dripped down onto the motor and once it got hot it either burned up or startet to splatter off the motor onto the exhaust manifold or something there