Recently had the engine oil cooler replaced due oil leak. however there is still an oil leak and it appears to be running down the back of the engine (drivers side) and running down the rear side of the gearbox bell housing, - repair place seems to think its residual oil but repair was over 2 weeks ago.
1/ Any ideas of what it may be
2/ would washing the valley out with degreaser and wash with water while parked on a steep hill be a start or would a solvent like kero or turps be a better pathway.

The car is still under used car warranty that replaced to oil cooler, and I know its their responsibility to rectify --I have also kept all my emails to the dealer on the matter.
any advice appreciated -- thanks.

Hi mate, any pictures of the engine bay and surrounds where the leak is?
I would second the idea, degrease and clean it all up and then check for the source of the leak. What colour, type of oil is it...?
Btw, people won't be able to tell from which Touareg model you are referring to, so please update your signature and or add to the post 👍

 

HI Thanks no I cant get photos - I can only describe it as I cannot determine exactly where its originating from - I thought the Header describe what vehicle I have -- the oil is a very rich black colour so it's engine oil -- I have updated my original post to include that its engine oil. I have tried to update my signature a few time but it does not appear to stay there after I save it Thanks again.

 

Recently had the engine oil cooler replaced due oil leak. however there is still an oil leak and it appears to be running down the back of the engine (drivers side) and running down the rear side of the gearbox bell housing, - repair place seems to think its residual oil but repair was over 2 weeks ago.
1/ Any ideas of what it may be
2/ would washing the valley out with degreaser and wash with water while parked on a steep hill be a start or would a solvent like kero or turps be a better pathway.

The car is still under used car warranty that replaced to oil cooler, and I know its their responsibility to rectify --I have also kept all my emails to the dealer on the matter.
any advice appreciated -- thanks.

Does it look anything like this?

 

Yes - its either a rear main bearing seal or the timing chain cover gasket leaking .

 

Just refreshing this thread -- mech has engine out and dismantled it now appears that the oil leak is due to oil leaking past the flywheel retaining bolts -- Not that I am a doubting Thomas as they said that these bolts secure into an adjacent oil journal... appreciate any comments - also there was a main bearing seal minor leak. Thanks guys & Gals if any

 

Just refreshing this thread -- mech has engine out and dismantled it now appears that the oil leak is due to oil leaking past the flywheel retaining bolts

English isn't my mother tongue..... so maybe I'm not reading this correctly.

 

Unless you have a hollow crank that's filled with oil, there's no reason why those bolts would get into an oil passage.
Your rear main seal is leaking.

https://www.clubtouareg.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,onerror=redirect,width=1920,height=1920,fit=scale-down/https://www.clubtouareg.com/attachments/2019-09-30-13_57_54-engine-pdf-adobe-reader-png.233490/

 

Thanks for your reply and the picture ... You have confirmed my thoughts

 

So,
I'll share my story with the rear main seal (which it wasn't). I bought my 2014 CRCA 180kw Touareg mid covid lockdown. Got a pre-purchase inspection done and they reported the car was all fine.
Car was transported up and as it came off the truck I started going over it checking for issues. The first thing I saw was a massive oil stain under the car.
A few days later removed the under guard and went crazy with the degreaser to find the source, the oil appeared to be coming from the bell housing indicating the rear main seal. I had no joy with the company who did the pre-purchase giving me a host of excuses from 'we can't expect to find every little issue' to 'it was raising on the day we tested it'.
So I called VW and asked for a price to replace the rear main seal. The knowledgeable older mechanic at Rockhampton prestige called me back to tell me the rear main seal is about a $2500 job but 99 times out of 100 it isn't that. He told me to google 'Q7 upper sump gasket failure' as the fault was predominantly in the Q7. If its the upper sump gasket it's a good 35-38 hr repair requiring the engine and box removed, spilt them, removed the torque converter, remove the timing assembly, remove the oil pump, remove the cheek plates to access the upper sump.
The cost for this is $14,827 if I came in off the street for the repair.
Having just spent my money on the car I was stressed as to what to do. I had 2 options, clean it up sell it on (dodgy) or find a real solution. The car only had 92k on it and appeared to have been leaking for quite a few years based on the large stain and the rate at which it leaked (1-2 drips a week) so I contacted VW with a big letter explaining I've been a VAG driver and advocate for nearly 30 years listing every VAG vehicle I'd owned with VIN numbers, mileage from purchase to sale. This car has an obvious manufacturing fault and would they be willing to help me with it.
If it was a warranty which this car isn't (3rd owner, private sale) a warranty repair costs VW $9700, they offered to cover 80% of the repair, provide 2 years warranty, and do a 4wd re-alignment.
All in all it cost me $1424 to fix the issue.
Noticed oil at the 12 month mark--took it back they found a crank case breather hose not correctly fastened, fixed and cleaned it. I've got 6 month left.

 

Thanks so much for that I actually looked at the upper sump seal and there was some evidence of a slight weep the mechanic said he had not cleaned the area and was typical but not of concern. At least with the engine out I managed to have a look around for anything of concern but did not find anything . Thank heavens I have a extended warranty.