I might have a major disaster on my hands.....I have a 95 A8 4.2 Quattro, 100,000 kms just turned and now oil is mixing with the coolant in the res bottle. Had some work done 3 months ago and they said it was the oil cooler in the radiator, replaced it and everythng was fine until last week. Some ATF fluid was leaking from the pipes at the front left side so I went in to fix that and they discovered the oil again in the res bottle - it was low but looked clean from the outside.

Anyway, I have searched and looked through all of the forums for some advice - what I have seen is that the oil cooler issue is a possible problem but from 97 engines on - the oil cooler that sits behind the alternator and has a small pipe connecting it.

My engine is different than this, there is no oil cooler sitting behind the alternator and I can't find any info on this year's engine.

Can anyone help me out so I can deal with this without opening the door for the dealer or the other ( fairly useless ) garage to stick it to me ? They are already suggesting it is a 'cracked head' which is a big problem as you know ! Any other options? How can I tell if the head or gasket is leaking or what - and if it is, is it the end of what has been a sweet ride ?

Thanks in advance,
omanized