I think most modern machines make "wake up" noises when they're first switched on, which is all quite normal and acceptable. But the noise I referred to in my previous post happened every time I used the auto presser foot (which was frequently). My dealer confirmed that this was the normal noise.
I was torn for a while because the auto lift was absolutely great for quilting, but I just couldn't live with that much noise while I was sewing - it really irritated me. I love peace and quiet while I work, so this was much too intrusive into my lovely peaceful world of stitching.
It was still a beautiful machine though and I was sad to see it go before I'd got to know it better.