[200q20v] Reusing gaskets

[Derek Pulvino]

What's other peoples opinion on reusing gaskets, specifically the intake manifold gasket.  Kind of convoluted but...just replaced the valve cover gasket and noticed that I have a slight leak from the half moon portion of the gasket on the front side of the head, adjacent to the intake cam.  My guess is the gasket didn't engage in the grove in the head correctly.  In order to get this seated right again I need to remove the valve cover (or at least get it loose enough to allow some manipulation), and in order to do that, I need to remove the intake manifold (brilliant engineering audi).  I've just recently went through this whole process to replace the dist. and other mentioned gaskets, so the intake manifold gasket was replaced about 3-4 weeks ago.  What do other people think about reusing the intake gasket?  Oh ya, and just remembered that I have to remove all of the said pieces seeing as one of the bolts broke within the valve cover upon trying to loosen it.

Also, anybody else ever mess with the head gasket, or for that matter the pan gasket?  If you have, did you also have problems with the fasteners breaking at around the speced 7ft-lbs?  So far I've broken three bolts at speced torque, 2 on install, and one on removal, and actualy, it's not frustrating at all.

Derek "bolt breaker" Pulvino