This happened twice last week and never did that symptom in the past 1.5 years of ownership. The XC is always parked leveled and I'm using it every day.. so I have to exclude the fact that it's been sitting for a while without running, hence a harder cold start. The engine would just crank for a good 5 seconds before starting. I've heard of the lawn mower syndrome.. but doesn't the '99 and up engines now come with solid lifters instead of hydraulic in order to prevent this problem? I brought the car in for peace of mind and nothing serious was found, no codes, plugs still look good (27,000 Kms). Did this happen to any of you?

Also, while the car was in, I mentioned the gear oil smell and all they did was wipe off the excess around the front diff. I've been explained there's an overflow valve and the oil would come out of that valve if the diff is overfilled. The tech called the hotline and they said they've never heard of this before. To resume properly, it was factory overfilled?? Funny it didn't smell before.. Anyways, that didn't do the trick because I still smell the pungent odor coming fron the air vents and it has become very unpleasant for my passengers and I. Any ideas where to look at now? Hopefully this won't cause any potential problems in the long run.

Thanks!