Okay after some driving and parked my car in the garage I notice there is more engine pinging noise then normal and diff pinging noise. I know all car after shutting off will make some noise but it sounds more so today then any other. I mean it sounded like there was a bag of kernel being popped. Is this normal? I did not push the car hard. Should I be concern?

 

It's hard to say, but I know what you mean about the sound. I find my new '05 tends to be a tad noisier than my old '03. At the beginning I thought the dealer did not do the PDI so I checked all the fluids and hoses and they were fine.

The weird thing is when I drive hard there is less or none of that sound when stopped and shut off. Then on days like today under normal city driving I find the car tends to warm up more. Go figure!

My old BMW did the same thing so I'm not too worried about it. I think I read somewhere on this board that it is quite normal for the '05. As long as I don't see the engine light, I'm cool.

 

Thanks chico, is weird that i notice it more today then any other day, even my brother's bmw makes less noise.

 

The catalytic converters tend to make alot of sound on cool down from operating temps.

 

It's cool, Eric, no pun intended, lol, actually it's very hot......the headers, exhaust pipes, resonators, but mostly the catalytic converters. They ting, ping, and fart a lot while cooling. (sounds like me getting up in the morning. )

Both my 'M' and the 'Solara' sing the same tunes......ding, ding, ding, clang, ding..................

To give you some idea of how hot they can get, the catalytic converters can ignite normal combustibles very easily. and that includes paper, leaves, boxes, plastics......anything that can get close enough to them.
Headers can glow red, as well as brake disks!

Lot's of heat under there, besides what's under the hood.

C.