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Originally Posted by we350z
Is the only way to check by removing the engine acoustical cover?
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Nobody can tell you, it isn't even a picture of your vehicle if I understand your post correctly.
With respect, the only way to check, as you put it, is to properly diagnose where the oil is leaking from. Your choices (in no particular order) are the oil pan, the oil drain plug, the oil separator, the valley pan gasket, one or both cylinder head gaskets, one or both valve cover gaskets, one of the lines leading to the oil separator, or potentially a vehicle that was parked in the same spot before the X5 (just testing). I am sure there are more possibilities.
Asking us to diagnose the cause of your possible oil leak based on one drop of oil on your garage floor is a real stretch. Any oil at the bottom of the engine inside the belly pan could have come from anywhere, including a previous fill that spilled.
There is no substitute for a proper diagnosis and failure analysis. While the temptation is to come to the web for answers, it has limits. My father, a very old-school mechanic, taught me that the lowest form of mechanic was a 'parts replacer', someone that simply replaced parts in an attempt to find the problem. I recommend that if you can't find the leak yourself, you rely on a trusted mechanic. Spend your efforts finding a mechanic to trust if you can't find the leak.
Standard protocol would be to clean the wet area of the vehicle, clean the floor, put out dry paper overnight, and see where it is dripping based on the evidence in the morning. Follow it up to find the source. That's it, no rocket science.
Good luck.