Thanks for the info guys. I'm a capable mechanic if I know what it is I need to work on. So I'll try to do this one myself if I can find a garage to do it in. I'm only in Chicago for a year and stuck in an apartment w/ no place for my tools or my X5.

Any ideas as to why a week after t-stat replacement my temp gauge pegged red again? The coolant was also drained and flushed. Bad t-stat maybe?