Spoiler

 

1.2 tsi has a strong smell of fuel. I've read a few reports of fuel rail bolts shearing. Is the part I've highlighted red the fuel rail? None of the bolts appear loose or sheared. Or is this not the fuel rail?

 

You can see the filth all around the end cylinder so something is leaking. It feels oily, maybe that's what happens to old fuel? Inside the air pipe going to the throttle body seems oily inside too which is a concern.

 

 

Looks like engine oil to me, looks like the car is breathing a good amount of oil from the breather system and/or from the turbo seals. There is probably a very small air leak causing that oil to seep out over time around the throtle body. I don't think this is the cause of your fuel smell.

12 hours ago, SuperbTWM said:

Looks like engine oil to me, looks like the car is breathing a good amount of oil from the breather system and/or from the turbo seals. There is probably a very small air leak causing that oil to seep out over time around the throtle body. I don't think this is the cause of your fuel smell.

Thanks for the response. I'm wondering how there is so much filth around the end of the fuel rail, if the only source of oil was from the air pipe leading to the throttle body. The pipe seems pretty well sealed at both ends and the fuel rail is in the middle. I'm now considering if there are 2 separate issues, one causing oil in the air system and a separate leak around the fuel rail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oil tends to ‘wick’ and travel across the dirt on the engine. 
 

Does it smell like petrol under the bonnet? I would think if it was leaking enough for you to smell it inside you are looking for a drip, any small seepage like that you wouldn’t smell, it would also have a tendency to clean the area
 

are you sure it’s not an exhaust smell or is it raw fuel? Could be a leak in the evaporative emissions system, these are often piped into the intake so look for damaged hoses etc.

I'm nowhere near an expert on engines but could it be the breather hose? Maybe check THIS THREAD?

12 hours ago, DunDunFather said:

I'm nowhere near an expert on engines but could it be the breather hose? Maybe check THIS THREAD?

I think you are dead on! What a gent you are.

 

If I interpret the pictures correctly on this thread, my breather hose is not even connected so is honking oil everywhere!