Hi all. I have a rhythmic rattling coming from the engine area when the engine is started cold. The rattle sounds rhythmic and oscillating, coming from the engine bay. It occurs when the engine is started cold and is gone after a trip down the road, seemingly once operating temperature is reached. It does not occur during the subsequent starts while the engine is warm. It is more prominent when the car has sat for a few days, but still disappears after driving. This rattling has been around for a while. If I had to guess, maybe since 60k miles… maybe longer. The symptoms have not changed since first noticing it.
A video of the rattle:
Some background to hopefully narrow things down:
2015 Golf S TDI with DSG
86k miles
Malone Stage 2 and Rawtek exhaust done at 70k miles
The car was purchased in 2017, new, after returning from the DieselGate fix. The original owner was close family, so I’ve been fairly familiar with this car since it was new. I also drove it quite often. They were on point with the basic servicing – oil, tire rotation, fuel filter, and air filter have been changed regularly at the correct intervals. Since owning it, I average 600 (mostly highway) miles/week, so I’ve become zealous about learning/performing preventative maintenance. I was horrified to find out the DSG had never been serviced. So, I did the first at almost 80k miles… however the fluid/filter looked surprisingly good. It may be worth mentioning there were no changes in drivability/feel after this servicing, nor did it affect the rattle.
I’m self-taught and learning as I go, (praise YouTube, and all y’all in the forums) but I’m detail attentive enough to notice the smallest new noise/vibration/etc. To me, the car runs and feels fine. There has been no noticeable difference in feel or performance while the car is warming up and the rattling is occurring. However, I’m no mechanic and my knowledge and experience is limited. I’m hoping y’all can get me pointed in the right direction.
A video of the rattle:
Some background to hopefully narrow things down:
2015 Golf S TDI with DSG
86k miles
Malone Stage 2 and Rawtek exhaust done at 70k miles
The car was purchased in 2017, new, after returning from the DieselGate fix. The original owner was close family, so I’ve been fairly familiar with this car since it was new. I also drove it quite often. They were on point with the basic servicing – oil, tire rotation, fuel filter, and air filter have been changed regularly at the correct intervals. Since owning it, I average 600 (mostly highway) miles/week, so I’ve become zealous about learning/performing preventative maintenance. I was horrified to find out the DSG had never been serviced. So, I did the first at almost 80k miles… however the fluid/filter looked surprisingly good. It may be worth mentioning there were no changes in drivability/feel after this servicing, nor did it affect the rattle.
I’m self-taught and learning as I go, (praise YouTube, and all y’all in the forums) but I’m detail attentive enough to notice the smallest new noise/vibration/etc. To me, the car runs and feels fine. There has been no noticeable difference in feel or performance while the car is warming up and the rattling is occurring. However, I’m no mechanic and my knowledge and experience is limited. I’m hoping y’all can get me pointed in the right direction.