My 960 has had a slow oil leak for the past few months. My mechanic discovered that the bolts that hold the valve cover in place had been stripped at some time. The gasket is fine, but oil is leaking from these bolts, collecting somewhere on the back of the engine, and that is why I occasionally see oil in my driveway.

The mechanic tried using thread sealer with the existing bolts, but the leak is actually worse now. He thought he could remove the valve cover and drill new holes, but he was concerned that there would not be enough room to tap the new hole (est. cost for labor $800).

I plan to drive the car for a few more years so I'm interested in a permanent fix instead of a get-by fix. I don't do much work on cars, but would like to get some advice that I could give to the mechanic and get this fixed.