D5 2009 (V70) oil leak
 

I've got a wet oil patch on the side of the engine low down (Looking in from the Grill) looks messy but the funny thing is no oil stains on the drive and no noticeable oil loss on the dipstick. I'm going to get some degreaser to try and determine how bad it is. Anyone any idea where it's coming from?

My Dad's V70 had similar symptoms. There was no loss of oil on the dipstick, but the side of the engine was covered in oil. It turned out to the the crankshaft oil seal, which is now fixed & there's no sign of oil leaking!

I wonder how expensive that fix would be ? Thanks for the reply though.

Are you sure it is not a spill from changing the oil filter (on the front of the engine) or seepage from the PCV valve (also on the front of the engine)?

The D5 has an under-engine cover plate to reduce noise. This catches and holds any leaking fluids.

So take of the under engine cover plate and clean it (I did mine in the shower)
And clean and degrease the front of the engine

Then you will have a much better idea of where the oil is coming from.

The seal itself is about £20-£30, but there's a fair bit of labour involved. I think its a £250 fix or in the region of.

As Swiss XC90 said above, it could be oil leaking from the oil filter or spillage when changing it. Sometimes oil can weep past the rubber o-ring if its failed or maybe installed incorrectly and oil may spray outside the filter housing when the engine is running. This can look like its a bad leak when its just a cheap fix.

As suggested, take the under tray off, give it a good clean and have a proper look around. The leak could be coming from any of multiple components, so its not always easy to distinguish.