Why is the petrol engine on my Astra so noisy?

I have a 2007 Vauxhall Astra 1.6 petrol. Once the car has been running for around 5-10 minutes, on idle, it seems to be making a ticking noise. The car sounds like a diesel, but drives fine. I had it fully serviced three months ago but it hasn't fixed the problem. A few weeks ago I tried an engine flush, but it has made little difference. Any ideas?

Asked on 20 September 2016 by Yusuf Seedat

Answered by Honest John
I think the noise is probably wear in the valve gear or the hydraulic tappets failing to 'pump up'.
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