Oil in expansion (coolant) reservoir Golf 1.4 98

Janet, top up your coolant in the coolant reservoir/expansion tank it is the rounded bottle closer to the shock tower.. Remove Blue or Black cap when engine cold and top up, run engine till warm and recheck after cool and top up again if necessary. Make sure to have leak repaired sooner then later to prevent future costly repair.
Check the attached links,instruction and guides, Good luck
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1J0121403B For VW Jetta Golf MK4 BORA AUDI A3 TT OCTAVIA Expansion Tank Cap
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this is not GOOD that means somewhere the two are mixing,and it's just a matter of time before it really damages motor.drain oil and check for coolant in oil,look at oil dip stick do you see white stuff on it or mixed oil and foam ? if you have an automatic transmission the coolant and tranny share cooling in bottom of radiaitor ,and that my be what your seeing in coolant tank unless its very dark like used motor oil.

When the oil was changed, did anyone reset the oil life monitor? It needs to be reset every time an oil change is done. That would explain why it is telling you to change the oil so soon.If you have a bad head gasket, antifreeze mixes with your oil. Check the oil on the dipstick. Does it look normal? Check under the cap where you pour the oil into the engine. Is the oil cap wet on the bottom? If yes, and the oil on the dipstick does not look normal, the head gasket is defective. It most likely would leak where the thermostat is located, since the gasket seal was taken out and replaced with a new one. It may not have been done correctly. There may be a puncture in a hose. There could be a crack in the coolant reservoir tank. The thermostat must be stuck in the open position or the thermostat was installed backwards for it to take that long to heat up. Refill the coolant reservoir tank with antifreeze and water before driving the car to avoid severe engine damage.

It would not hurt to check it but the loss of oil and the loss of coolant are worrying. I would have a compression test done to check the head gasket and head. The tick may be compression gas escaping at the gasket. That would also account for coolant loss. Have a pressure test done on the cooling system to check for leaks. Towing a trailer ( I guess that it had a bit in it) over a long distance at speed ( probably 60 mph or better) places strain on a good engine but if the engine is on par or below then faults appear

If there is definately no air in the system and everything is working properly have you changed the pressure cap on the expansion bottle? Very unusual but if everything else is ok then it might be worth a shot. Caps have a pressure release mechanism biult into them.

In my opinion, if you drained the coolant and there was NO OIL in it or any evidence ( an oily film in the reservoir), you were the poor victim of a dishonest oil change facility.

Just watch your coolant and oil level daily for the next week or so. If any milky residue appears on the inside of the cap where you add oil, or any oil film builds up on the coolant reservoir, then you might have a problem. Most likely a head gasket has failed.

when oil mixes with coolant it sill stay suspended for a long time. Water and oil don't mix but coolant and oil will due to the chemical properties of the coolant and it can take days to seperate.

Before you flush it, check to make sure your oil doesn't have coolant in it. From your description of your coolant, sounds like there's oil in it.. which is indication of a head gasket leak. Have it pressured tested first before doing your flush. Coolant shouldn't be "brown & thick"

One thing to check is for coolant getting into the oil, which would indicate head gasket failure. Check oil dipstick and/or underneath of oil cap for a frothy brown/tan look to it. If so, do not drive the car.

Also check coolant reservoir for a leak. Evaporation is suspect, but maybe not to the point you are describing. Check coolant reservoir cap, as well as radiator cap.

need a ring job

Could be just the OIL COOLER. VW IS CORRECT.
If the oil cooloer fails internely you will have a mix of coolant and oil. In the engine and in the Radiator,

But not to say the other guys were wrong...