Oil leak & knocking

[pixl]

Hey guys, so I've two separate issues. One is finding out where this oil leak is coming from. I say leak, but it'd be more accurate to call it an ooze. I've wiped it down as best I could just to see if there was any drips. No marks on the ground of anything dripping, but it does appear to be oozing a little bit from somewhere.

Centre of the image and bit to the right, you can see the oil hugging to a chunck of metal. Is this where the transmission is located?



The second one is the knocking I'll get every now and then when turning a corner at low speed and the ground is a little bumpy. I've read that our control arm bushes aren't the greatest so I took a pic to get some feedback on whether these bushes are still in good nick or if they could be causing the sound. The only problem is, it's almost impossible to simulate.



The car has just hit 22,000km.

[mattyf]

get some solid poly bushes, they make the ride feel more direct.

[Spec83]

Low speed knocking when turning (with bumps) will most likley be your swaybar links.. Had the same thing and they were replaced under warranty. Your bushes look ok, but poly ones are better

It is a annoying sound!!

[noone]

My uneducated opinion, bush looks fine, bad ones are clearly torn, I don't see any tear.
As for knocking, arb links, suspension hats / bearings. Links are easy to check, full lock and look under the wheel from the front with flashlight.

[pixl]

It is a annoying sound!!

You're not wrong! The sound is horrible and the feeling you get through your feet. It's like something is about to drop out from somewhere between the front wheels.

Thanks for the replies. I'll check out the links tomorrow. Any particular tell tale signs to look out for? I'm pretty noobie when it comes to stuff under the car.

[GTI_PAPA]

Not sure, but it might help. I had similar looking oil leak(s) a week after driving my new Polo off the lot. No definite leaks, just oily residue spreading everywhere. Finally pinpointed down to leaking inner cv boots. They were replaced and dry ever since. I have the same knock through the steering, but vw techs have never been able to pinpoint problem. Other forums have mentioned steering rack rattle...

[break]

That leak doesn't look like the gearbox to me... as it's positioned higher and to the right of the gearbox drain point. I'd think it's something else, could be the CV boots like suggested above.

As for the knocking, I found the biggest culprit for knocking was worn drop links, but worn control arm bushes certainly can cause this as well. I'd be looking at both (drop links are cheap and easy to fit, control arm bushes will likely need a mechanic to do)

[Fishoross]

sounds like cv joints to me

[seangti]

sounds like cv joints to me

The knock is very different to buggered CV's. Mine cluncks when on lock, under load (say drive way, or bumps). I understand it to be the swaybay cluncking and seems to be related to having lowered it. I'm running new strut top bushes and lower control arm bushes (the seat ones), so it's not them. It also does it with the standard sway bar links and the modeo links which ppl raved about not long back. So not that either. Now, I'm over it and don't care about a slight knock. Price you pay for modifying bits I guess.

[noone]

Both sets of links may be too long if you are lowered.

The oil looks like it might be near the turbo?

[blackbetty]

did you end up sorting out where your oil leak/ooze was from?
pulling the plastic top engine cover off, are you finding any oil trails from the top of the motor that could fall down to where you're seeing it under the car?