Does anyone else get a brief squeal when they start up? It's done it every time since I bought it,and is running fine. Just want to check its not an undiscovered costly fault!

I forgot to mention I have a 55 reg vRS!

sounds like a worn or incorrectly tensioned auxilary belt. Not major, not dangerous.

Just needs replaced or tightened, but if its not getting worse and not bothering you leave it.

they are cheap to buy and easy to fit. Worst case is that the tensioner is getting weak but even then not dangerouse or costly

Phew,thank you! As much as I love driving I am clueless about mechanics!

your welcome

if it sounds like a vacuum cleaner and lasts for about a minute its your sai pump, normal too

Edited 17 January, 201313 yr by Lofty79

No,it's literally just a squeal for maybe 2 seconds on startup. Thanks!

It's your starter motor, common vag issue, mine is exactly the same, the noise goes when the temperature increases, I.e no noise during the summer months.

I believe the cause is something to do with the seals but if you do a search there are plenty of threads with the answer.

cool, its fine then, may get worse eventually, but like i say easy done when time comes.

sounds like a worn or incorrectly tensioned auxilary belt. Not major, not dangerous.

That is completely wrong mate. I have seen LOADS of cars of various makes where the aux belt has come apart, gone behind the pulley and taken the timing belt with it.

If the aux belt is worn it needs to be changed as soon as possible

Ive never seen one mate, not one! Cant see how its possible on the 1.8t at all, unless the person doing timing belt didnt put the metal cowlings back properly, but hey ho. Had a few break over the years too

Edited 17 January, 201313 yr by Lofty79

I've seen it loads of times. The aux belt doesn't even have to get into the timing cover, if it wraps itself up in the pulley it can stop the crank dead which is enough to jump the timing belt and funk the valves.

If you google it I'm sure there will be plenty of cases with pics etc.

then surely stalling the car would cause the timing belt to skip too, but it doesnt if the intervals are kept up.

Stalling is a far less sudden stop and it tends not to happen at 5000rpm

Believe what you want mate, I've seen it plenty of times so I know it happens.

fair enough, ive had a good old search and have found a few, oddly all renaults and citroens. So there is mileage to your theory, ive never seen it but accept that it can happen

I'm pretty sure spittingfairy's problem is the starter motor anyway. it can sound like a loud squeal, a hum/rattle or a bit of both and lasts just over a second after startup. If it is this, to put you at ease it is at worst case scenario if it got really bad a replacement motor at max £150 and a few quid to fit if needed. A clean should get the noise to go away but most just live with it.

It's one of those noises that only people with the same car know about, like the Secondary air pump noise. Everybody else just thinks it's a banger.

A bit like the aux belt thing though 9 times out of 10 the starter will just die by itself but mine did it awkwardly by getting stuck in the flywheel and bending a little when it got there so it stayed engaged and was making terrible noises so I couldn't even roll start my car . I've never heard of this happening another Vrs, I must be just unlucky.

Edited 18 January, 201313 yr by michael1

add it belt slip rules if it goes quiet its belt