Thanks for all the replies, I'm really impressed with the response rate.
So, I got home from work checked the oil, it was really low, went down to my local Tesco petrol station and got Mobil 1 oil 1litre (only place and only oil available at short notice), and topped it up so the gauge read two bars from the top after having been run warm.
Didn't notice any smoke this time on start up. The tapping noise is there but less, can't hear it all when sat in the cabin, I didn't drive it just ran it for a bit whilst the engine warmed up (which I know you're not supposed to do), car is locked in the garage with my WRX blocking it in so a bit of a pain in the evening to start playing musical cars, especially with the neighbours.
The car was last serviced 2 years ago, (major) about 6,000 miles. The AOS was changed in February 2019, just 800 miles ago. I called up the indie that did it, spoke through the issue they said the car was all good when it left them.
Not sure what to make of it, maybe the intermittent driving, being parked up for 3 weeks, low on oil or a combination of the three?
I'm confident the car has been looked after, significant documentation and service history is comprehensive.
I've got a minor service planned and brake fluid change so may find out a bit more in the coming days.
BTW... I was absolutely fixated on getting a 997 then incidentally when I went to view one I saw a 996 C4S parked on the same street and was star struck. I'm so glad I went for the 996 C4S in the end, it is just achingly beautiful to look at from any angle and even if it costs me a fortune to fix it I'll do it rather than pass it on to someone else. This is a keeper !!
So, I got home from work checked the oil, it was really low, went down to my local Tesco petrol station and got Mobil 1 oil 1litre (only place and only oil available at short notice), and topped it up so the gauge read two bars from the top after having been run warm.
Didn't notice any smoke this time on start up. The tapping noise is there but less, can't hear it all when sat in the cabin, I didn't drive it just ran it for a bit whilst the engine warmed up (which I know you're not supposed to do), car is locked in the garage with my WRX blocking it in so a bit of a pain in the evening to start playing musical cars, especially with the neighbours.
The car was last serviced 2 years ago, (major) about 6,000 miles. The AOS was changed in February 2019, just 800 miles ago. I called up the indie that did it, spoke through the issue they said the car was all good when it left them.
Not sure what to make of it, maybe the intermittent driving, being parked up for 3 weeks, low on oil or a combination of the three?
I'm confident the car has been looked after, significant documentation and service history is comprehensive.
I've got a minor service planned and brake fluid change so may find out a bit more in the coming days.
BTW... I was absolutely fixated on getting a 997 then incidentally when I went to view one I saw a 996 C4S parked on the same street and was star struck. I'm so glad I went for the 996 C4S in the end, it is just achingly beautiful to look at from any angle and even if it costs me a fortune to fix it I'll do it rather than pass it on to someone else. This is a keeper !!