A $10 spray of belt dressing is still about the easiest thing to do yourself. I am imagining in my head that the car autostarts the engine and then restarts accessory items like the a/c clutch a moment later? Maybe it does a chirp or a squeal when it kicks in and that's what transmits through the vent system. Then the belt catches fully to the pulley. I'm keeping my money on belt. I wonder if the car does it when first started, but it just isn't heard for some reason? A system that doesn't come on right away?
Random noises can be the worst thing to find. Then all of a sudden someone will pin it down and go ah ha! We had a PT Cruiser that had a weird thump noise. Lots of driving and listening. I checked all the interior stuff and the muffler mounts and shocks and even got on the fuel filler pipe thinking it was hitting somewhere. Then months (years?) later and I'm at the tire shop one day and I mention this noise to the guy and he goes "did you replace the sway bar bushings"? Bam, fixed. Just need the right "idea person" to nail it.
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