It's a fairly straightforward job, I did follow ps2cho's tip from a previous thread and used a large breaker bar braced against the frame and bumped the starter to loosen the 27mm crank bolt. I ended up buying the locking tool on ebay for when I tightened the bolt though, I didn't want to risk breaking anything when tightening it to the 300nm spec

Unless you really feel like going through the trouble of dropping the oil pan, I'd just cut that front section out of the pan gasket and use a bit of sealant in the corners.

Just follow the factory manual and you should be good to go.

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1995 E300 Diesel - 298k
1983 240D - ~500k
2015 Porsche Cayenne Diesel - 90k
2013 Audi allroad - 153k