Hi, got my MKII vRS and im noticing the engine is very rattly, like a constant tapping or ticking noise, goes up and down when I rev it, can be heard very easily over the exhaust and fans also when driving.

It also doesnt idle very smoothly, always going up and down a few revs which can be felt in the seat and through the steering wheel, maybe 10 or 20 rpm but the internal, lights dim when it does this, annoying, almost feels like its going to cut out on me.

I bought it fully serviced by a Skoda dealer with its cambelt being done 2 years ago. Oil is a few mm from Max, coolant at max line. No warning lights on dash

I did however notice today there is a white goo around the oil cap washer and around the top of the oil top up hole, leads me to think there is water in there somewhere.

Also startup feels sluggish, only just catches sort of thing, only noticed this after the batter went flat the day I bought it because I had the ignition on for a while, didnt notice the noisy engine before the battery went flat, only after and since then.

2006 with 41k on the clock, Petrol!

Video

Edited 24 March, 201214 yr by abarth_1200

Yeah put the video up,have you just bought the car from the dealer? if so take it back as it should be fixed under warranty.

Dealer is down in Edinburgh, im up in Nairn, I called them today and the guy who sold it to me advised me to call local dealer up here (Arnold Clark) so called them but they cant help until Monday, needs a mechanic for his opinion. Going to book it in.

But I dont know what a normal vrs engine sounds like so might not be a prpblem, could it be coil packs? Would a flat battery cause them to break if I tried to start the engine?

Video coming up...

Iv heard the rattle is something to do with a charcoal canister, if you search the forum for it theres abit of info about it. Mine does the same, sounds like engine tappets but apparently its common for the vrs to make this sound.

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Yep I heard about the charcoal canister valve opening and closing causing a rattle but im not sure about this and would rather ask, I have spent the better part of today searching this forum for rattly octavias.

Video uploading to youtube...

Pic of oil filler opening

Edited 24 March, 201214 yr by abarth_1200

Just looks like condensation which is normal this time of year.

Really, the oil was brand new when I drove the car away from the garage 2 days ago

It might have been like that before the oil change and they might not have cleaned it thinking it wasn't a problem,but better get it checked to be on the cautious side.Usually short journeys and sitting ticking over first thing results in that.

Thats nothing to worry about,my octy has condensation like that,after a good run its gone.

Video is up, sorry about the orientation, I jailbroke my iphone and its decided to not record videos the right way round.

Skip to about halfway to hear the engine noise from outside the car

That's just emulsification in the photo which is normal.

Did notice the engine temp is quite cold. Is it like that when it's hot?

I've listened to the vid clip and it sounds like it could possibly be tappet noise or camshaft wear. That could explain the roughness in the idling when the revs go up and down.

I'm not a trained mechnic though, just have some experience with engines. Get the dealer to sort it as soon as possible.

It's sounds exactly like that when hot,

Would anything like this be covered under warrenty? It's not the usual wear and tear category right?

Did the garage you bought it of give you warranty ,as they should fix it as you only just bought it.

Yes the garage was called West End Garage in West Lothian, they gave me a 12 month warrenty,

Problem is I'm up here in Nairn, I called the garage yesterday and he said to try calling your local dealer and get it looked at, im sure the warrenty will extend to all Skoda garages

Yes i see what you mean with the distance problem as garages would rather sort it themselves as they can keep costs down that way,but hopefully it will be sorted without too much hassle and then you can enjoy the car.

Mine doesnt sound like that! have they put the wrong type of oil in when it was serviced? doesnt sound right to me,very rattly!

Doesn't sound too bad to me. Mines noisy too but direct injection cars are.

Sounds a bit tinkly. Could be the cam follower? I'd definitely get that checked out.

Cam follower? camshaft wear? tappet noise?

What do I say when I ask to have the car looked at at, I want to speak to a mechanic at Skoda to get his view or at least be in his vicinity when he has a listen to it.

Im sorry but I just dont trust dealers and its easy for them to turn around and say thats normal, I just want them to tell me its either all good honestly or tell me it needs this or that done to it.

Should I hold back the part about my warranty until they tell me its going to need fixed?

I would get the mechanic to look and hear that noise with you and then see what he says about it.I have never heard one that noisey before.Also too wondering if they used the right oil in it on its oil change.

Good luck hoipe goes well

I agree, if you can hear it in the car and when driving it must be noisy. Get it checked out.

A 2006 car that has well below average miles suggests its only been used for short runs.

The oil in the filler cap is perfectly normal in this case and nothing to worry about even after a change, as usually some emulsified oil gets left behind as it gets stuck to parts of the engine.

The lumpy idle and ticking sound could just be down to lack of use and may well clear itself up over time and regular long runs. Throttle body could be full of carbon, or possibly there is still some more emulsified oil in there that needs to be broken down.

I wouldn't expect a car with just 41K miles to show any signs of wear in the engine at all, and I am not aware of anyone having issues with the vRS petrol engine at such low mileage, so I am guessing its something really simple.

If the car sounded fine before the battery went dead I would suggest it could be your throttle body needs re aligning. Try just putting your key in the ignition, turning to the start position but not starting the engine and leave it on for 45 seconds. Switch off and start as normal. The throttle body will automatically align. Or if you have access to VAG com VCDS etc then it can be done through that.