I have an 04 plate s4 4.2 v8, but on cold starts there seems to be a rattle from the engine which goes almost straight away, but getting annoying now, can any one shed some light on this?

 

Rattling during a cold start is a common issue. There could be several reasons for the same. It could be due to a play in tensioner or timing chain. Improperly adjusted tappets could also lead to rattling. I hope these parts can lead you to find the actual problematic fragment.

 

Cheers for that, was thinking along the tap's line my self but ill have it checked.