That's the oil filter cover. If its dripping from that, rather than above it, chances are either the o-ring sealing it to the housing is either perished or pinched. Probably someone fitted an aftermarket filter which didn't come with a new o-ring so just re-used the old one. The Mahle filter comes with fittings, as do some other premium brands, but cheap ones tend not to. The number is 077198563. Unlikely you can get that from Audi any more so the Mahle is probably the best alternative.
You're right that that V8 leaks less than the V6, and the 32V V8 is the least leaky of all' The V6 leaks because its breather system is terrible so tends to make a lot of crank case pressure, pushing the oil out of every seal. The 40V V8 has a good breather system but terrible cam cover gasket design so once that fails it also leaks badly. The 32V has the good breather system and much better cam cover gaskets so is the best of the bunch in that regard.
|