Now that the overnight temperature is getting lower (therefore the oil is getting thicker), I’ve been noticing a noise upon start up in the morning which only lasts 1 – 2 seconds.

It’s a mechanical noise, louder and slightly higher pitched than the normal idling noise. Sounds like it takes the oil 1 – 2 seconds to get around the entire engine to quieten things down.

My car is 11 months old, with 10,000km on the clock. The oil level is good – I check it regularly – I’ve had to add 3L so far in the last 10,000km to keep the level within the normal range on the dip stick.

The only other times I’ve noticed this noise upon start up in my previous cars was when I changed the oil filter and oil, after draining it completely from the sump. In those cases, it is understandable that it will take the oil a second or so to get around the engine.

But I'm now getting this every morning. Has anyone else noticed this? Is it normal?