thermostat replacement at Indy - how much?

[vivanov1]

how much should it run with parts and labor? do you guys buy a certain thermostat online? or get the genuine BMW one? thanks!

[HPIA4v2]

Originally Posted by vivanov1

how much should it run with parts and labor? do you guys buy a certain thermostat online? or get the genuine BMW one? thanks!

Which engine 3.0, 4.4 or 4.6?

On 4.4i it's next to the WP, probably takes an hour to do just the thermo, not expert maybe Weasel can chime ine. You can check with for quote, my indy always happy to give me quote over the phone.

[flyingmachine]

depending the age and miles on your car, you might want to change the water pump too. indy might charge you 3 hours something on water pump. so, maybe $500-$600 something with OEM parts? you can also get aftermarket parts online(autohausaz is reputable one). aftermarket parts might save you like $100 something.

it's actually not too bad to diy if you're mechanically inclined. there is an diy on this site.

[Bill K]

Probably a couple hundred for the labor and, I dont know, maybe $150 for the part.

[vivanov1]

thx for the feedback. i have a 3.0. thermostat is 80 online. how much hours of labor does it take? id assume less than an hour?

And the waterpump would be how much at an indy? water pump is 80 as well. 20 for the coolant.

180 in parts. how much can labor be?

thx again

[vivanov1]

also how many gallons do i need to buy of coolant? thanks for all the input!

[x5glenn]

was going to try to do the diy water pump install but found a local shop that would do it for $375. can't beat that price by much. dealer wanted over $1000!

[zzzzkev]

vivanov1 - I buy my parts at www.bavauto.com (I'm not in any way associated with them).

There's a DIY somewhere on this site about replacing the thermostat.
To replace the thermostat you'll remove the radiator although there have been some posts about doing the job without removing the radiator. Having done the job myself I fail to see how it's possible unless you are Harry Potter.

You will need a 32mm wrench to remove the fan. There is also a special tool to hold the housing in place while you remove the fan. I highly recomend you buy the tool. Hayaku has a great DIY on this site I think.

All that said, if you go to all the trouble to replace the thermo, you might as well replace the water pump while you have it all apart and replace the hoses for the radiator. Amount of fluid varies because there is no easy way to "flush" the radiator that I've found.