My 3.0 sounds like a diesel when it starts, and I'm getting a lot of valve chatter.I'm hearing all kinds of reasons for this. Since none of these sources owns a euro, I'm looking for some help from people in the know. I just had the plugs and oil changed, and I'm hearing that both of these could be to blame. Be it wrong gap or wrong oil weight. I would like to gather info before I go back.

 

Its normal on the 3.0L, its not valve chatter either. Its the four front cam adjusters, the oil runs out of them after sitting a while. When the engine starts back up they will chatter until oil is restored to the tensioners. Ask any 3.0L owner they all do the same thing. You could even go to the dealer and have them fire up a used 3.0L on their lot and see if it makes the same noise. I have had to do that for hundreds of customers.
Once again another reason why audi doesn't make the 3.0L anymore...........

 

Hey AudiTech do you know of any aftermarket company that makes a timing chain conversion? Is the front cam adjusters the reason why the timing belts wear out so fast?

 

Can't say whether thats the cause of the wearing on the timing belt, because the 2.8L and 2.7T tend to break the belts around the same mileage and they use a completely different design.
There is no way you can retrofit a 3.0L to a chain, you would have to get 4 custom made pulleys for each cam shaft and somehow press the existing tensioners back onto the pulleys. That could cost you an unbelievable amount of money.