01' -1.8t - 2wd.
I finally got to wash my car this week after a month and discovered a large buildup of oil in the inner part of the front right wheel. I have been noticing a little bit of noise from the area occasionally but not often. What do you think is the cause of this? Brakes?

 

Check your cv boot, I believe it may have ripped.

 

yup deffinitly what it sounds like, get under there and look if theres a tear you need to fix it/ get new one. It may be too late so you may need a new one anyway.

 

+1 on the cv boot

 

Or leaking brake caliper

 

if hes hearing it it probably th cv boot, i say pack it with grease until you get a new boot and repack it again and see if you can save it. i got away with doing this on my car, but still bought a new joint for peace of mind.

 

The stock cv joints are bullet proof, iv'e seen people run them dry for months on end and we just replace the boot and they are usually fine.