Anyone help......I have been working my way through the service schedule and when checking hoses in the engine I felt oil on this black one, took the acoustic cover off the cylinder head to get a better look. the whole back of this thick black hose (the one behind the braided black hose) was covered.....anyone any ideas of the cause?

its not unusual, oil from turbo passes throuhg intercooler through that pipe to inlet manifold it often leaks over hose if hose isnt sealed a 100% try tightening hose clip

thanks James, thats reassuring...........I think you answer most questions I ask on here .....cheers again

I hope it's not your turbo that's leaking. The oil (in vapour form) comes from the crankcase/camshaft breather tube which runs from top of engine into air intake pipe leading to the turbo. As it cools it reverts back to a liquid any where between the pipe and the inlet manifold. I have diverted the breather tube into a catch tank and plugged the air intake port to let the car get cleaner air into the combustion chamber. You may wish to investigate removing the EGR valve and associated bits as well.