I have a 2000 A6 Avant Quattro 30valve 2.8l and need to do some work on it. I need the tools to start. I'm not even sure what tool kit I should buy, but I'm hoping to find the "master" kit if its available. Any advice or links are appreciated. Thanks
Daniel

 

I think a lot of us here would say that we once started with a pre-made tool kit, but then quickly learned that there's always another tool that you needed that the kit didn't have, or a certain tool that would have made a job a lot easier so you go out and buy it. And like 2 other tools you "might" need, so you buy them "just in case".

If you're looking to start out and must get a "starter kit" that's been pre-made, I'd pick out something with a heavy focus on metric sizes. 10, 12, 14, 17mm are very common sizes on VAG vehicles with both 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive sizes. In addition, a good set of torx and allen head bits are a must when working on these cars. Oh, and extensions.

Some odd ball stuff you might need: a set of triple square bits, 32mm open end box wrench, 1 inch socket, 36mm (I think) allen head bit and various other open end box wrench sizes. But these aren't 100% necessary until you start getting into some more involved repairs.

 

That will give you a great start. I use my set of Metric Allen wrenches (including a 7mm for the brake caliper pins) and Metric Allen sockets all the time. Depending on how involved you plan to get, a cam locking bar and a crank pin aren't that expensive and they make the timing belt service a whole lot easier.

Something else that I wish I would have bought a long time ago is a power brake bleeder. It allows you to pressurize the brake fluid reservoir on the master cylinder so you can bleed the brakes by yourself by just opening each bleeder screw. It's so much easier than having someone else pump the brake pedal or even using a Mityvac to do it.

Nebuchadnezzar has it right when he says that you'll keep finding more tools that you need, but that's one of the great things about Audi's. You'll always have an excuse to buy more tools!