I noticed an intermittent rattle, that comes and goes whilst the car is idling or driving.

I have searched the forums and YouTube and it could be the timing chain or a pulley on the S belt.

Anyone know for sure or experienced this before?

Short 60 second clip of engine rattle

Not sure but might be pulleys. I would remove belt and check for play/roughness. It may be a failing water pump as well but the pulleys/belt would be the easiest to start with. Sounds more of a knock than a rattle

Alasdair

Thanks for the information

It is a difficult sound to explain, it is almost like a continous zip being pulled closed.

I was thinking could be timing chain as it is an FSI engine?

Or could it be the tappets like in the old days but that is more of a constant sound.

Does sound like something is hiting something. wonder if the tensioner is failing and chain is becoming loose and hitting the inside of casing. Reckon it needs investigating as lat thing you want is it to jump a few teeth. Try a length of garden hose with one end to your ear and move the other around engine to see if you can pinpoint it. I used to have an old volvo that made that noise. It was the alternator that the bearings failed and the sound was the fan like bit hitting the alternator. Used to do it when accelerating.

Alasdair

I would start by spraying WD40 down the rear of the pulleys one by one.

I had a Pug 405 GLX TD back in the 90’s that had a similar noise, a quick spray of WD40 once a day cured it, did 100k miles like that as a Courier/Minicab driver.

Traded it in like that.

Not saying you should keep driving it if it gets rid of the noise but it is a good way to diagnose the issue

The only noise our little 1.6 FSi Auto makes is a slight Camchain rattle if you leave it parked for a couple of weeks without running the engine, but start it up weekly and it’s a quiet as a mouse