well as i was having a go at the map sensor yesterday i took the airbox cover off the engine and seen some oil, im a bit lost when it comes to the engine bay so im going to make a point of learning about it for self interest and work. but this is oil on the engine itself, i wiped some of it away, then thought i should get a decent opinion on if its serious or wat. giving me a lot of problems recently, literally doing something to it everyday just to keep it alrite, ive another airbag failure to fix tomorrow. let me know wat you guys thing, ive heard of the heartache of head gaskets blown in stilos so im jst wryd if this is a preliminary sign

By the look of your pic I'd say someone's spilt some oil trying to top up in the past. Wouldn't worry myself.

I agree with Peril. A head gasket problem usually deposits oil below the head onto the block. This can also be a rocker cover gasket which is an easy fix. One possible early indication of head gasket problems is a build up of white scum in the water header tank.