Hey guys

I have a Audi A4, 2005 B7

When from a cold start I get this annoying startup rattle for 1-2 seconds then it's gone. Engine is very quiet after this initial rattle. Car drives fine etc.

As I am aware this is a widespread problem but nobody has a definitive answer to solve this.

I have been driving like this for 2 years now.

We had the engine open the other day and there is no indication of wear or anything. Engine looks super clean.

Here is a link. My engine sounds precisely like it:

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

 

Sounds like lifter rattle. Normal in these cars. When the engine is cold all the oil drains to the bottom of the engine. When you start the car it takes a few seconds for it to start to circulate which then quiets the noise. On a warm engine oil hasn't had time to drain to the bottom and that is why you don't hear it.

 

I have the same issue on my loaded 2006 4.2 D3 A8L. My shop just did my timing belt maintenance with all the new parts that go along with this scheduled maintenance. I had hoped this would fix this startup noise. (AKA Timing belt tensioner etc.) These cars did not have this when new. Who would spend $104k on a car that sounded like this on start up? And mine didn't have it at 55k that I can remember.
I just can't believe this is the norm IMHO.

Shouldn't there be a means of stopping the back flow of oil on shut down that keeps oil in the top end for preventing dry starts?

 

Really can't stop the oil as there is a need for it to circulate. So, no you can't do something to stop the back flow into the pan. On new cars you might not notice the rattle as the engine is still new and tight. As you add miles parts start to wear and get "loose". This is why you start hearing the rattle. Mine isn't to bad when I start it. You could use a heavier weight oil which would slow the drain of the oil. That is what I did back in the 1980s when I rove American v8 cars. The heavier oil made the engine more quite and also helped decrease oil leakage. I would be very hesitant to use that method in newer cars.