[madman720]

Hi all,

I wanted to get some feedback with my car's issue before bringing it back into the shop for repair.
Back in November, I noticed a slight rattle around 2.5k rpm when letting off the gas.
It would only happen in gear and has since gotten more noticeable / longer.

(2-3 second mark)

I've babied the car since and haven't pushed anywhere close to redline since it's my daily.

Anyways, this past motnh ive started to hear more engine rattle (none like ive heard since owning the car). I don't have the best clips because I didn't want to piss off neighbors. Last part is in Map 8

A couple days ago the VANOS/camshaft codes popped up and I limped home.

Today, I had someone else bring it to the local mechanic since I couldn't take time off work. I don't think the engine was at full temp when they checked. They were too busy to test drive that day, so I have to take it back. However, they listened to the car (but apparently sounded normal at the time), pulled codes and gave some initial thoughts.

- Not rod bearings (as we brought up the worry)
- Most likely timing chain / tensioners
- Estimated repair cost 2500

Maybe I'm just paranoid (already put a lot of $ in replacing worn turbos last year), but I don't want to pay for all this work only for a deeper issue (such as one which would require a new engine) happening later. I can pay the smaller bill but not a new engine.
Am I taking a risk by going through with this repair? Is there enough from the videos to suggest an issue like rod knock? (Would prolonged knock even cause secondary damage such as these codes I see)

A few side notes
-I've been reasonably good with oil changes over the past years and would seldom drive spirited. However, I've had numerous visits to the shop to replace worn gaskets, with quite a few times reaching the +1qt mark (and promptly topping off).
-I do have some recent logs, but no proper WOT logs as I've been afraid to push it.
-MHD app has given me some shadow HPFP codes once in a while, but those don't come back for a long time after they're cleared.
- My JB4 Fuel Open Loop is pinned to 90 and 'Last Safety' was AFR lean.
- Unsure if related but I did one red-line pull in December and triggered a 29DC code (unfortunately I forgot to log. After I cycled the engine, everything was totally fine. no new noises).
- Have had code 2EF4 keep appearing with SES for the past few months as well.

Thanks