Hi all,

I need some suggestions on how to remove the inner tie rods WHILE the outter ones are still in place...

Here's the background: A family friend took their 2001 2.8L A6 to the local shop and was quoted an unholy price for replacing front pads, rotors, and outer tie rods. Me, being the nice guy I am, said; "I can do it for far less than that and it'll be easy!" (can you see where this is going?)

The pads and rotors - piece o' cake. The TRE's... well, after a week of MAP gassing, PB-ing the crap out of it, and a BFH to convince them that they really do want to let go - I've come to the realization that the bloody things are frozen in place (the rounding off of the inner TRE bolts proved it).

So - my questions are this:

1. Can I remove the inner TRE while the outer is still in place - or do I have to cut the outer one off first?
2. How do I pop the stock Audi inner clamp off the boot? My hands are too big to fit through the tiny opening.
3. Any recommendations on which vendors to use/stay away from? I can get inner TRE's anywhere from ~$20 (Beck Arnley) up to the factory OEM's.
4. What are the torque specs for the inners when I re-install them?

Any help is greatly appreciated - not only by me, but by the wife as well since she wants the garage back...

Thanks!
-Mike