My sister has a 2000 A6 that needs a clutch. The shop is telling her they need the locking lug tool to get the wheels off.
Can anyone tell me if it's necessary to remove the wheels in order to drop the trans for a 2.8 clutch job? I didn't have to do this on my a4 1.8t. I think they have the same case and clearances. I know the exhaust will be different, though. On the A4 the axles were just disconnected from the trans and dropped down- allowing minimal clearance for the case to pull back and drop out.

 

No you don't need to, it makes it harder to remove the front cv axle shields, but its still doable.

 

Why don't you give them the lug lock? Since they are doing the work, why not them do it their way?