- What's the best after-market exhaust for the S-Type 3.0?

- This is more of a general car question but, my S-Type makes a horrendous squealing noise on every cold-start however the belt doesn't seem to be the problem. Wondering what else it could be.

 

Harmonic balancer/crank damper. Does the sound subside after it warms up?

 

Yep, the sound is non existent after it warms up

 

You can mark the damper on both sides of the polymer and confirm or eliminate it as the source. Search on both those terms and you'll probably find pics...if not here, then I know (as I and others have posted them) that they exist over in the X300 forum. It will be an easy exercise to convert what you see there to the situation on your 3.0L. Where are you? 100k -150k miles? Rare to see one give up prior to 100k. The good news: You generally have 6 months or so, maybe even a year, from first noise until it starts throwing off or shedding the drive belt. The bad new: Some years ago, the OEM supplier, a bunch of Cannucks, had succumbed to Obama's "recovery" and the items were rare as hen's teeth. You can send yours to Damper Dr. or the guy in the greater Northwest whose name I can't recall for a rebuild. The car will be down for a week or so, though.

First, mark it and make sure that is your problem.