Thermostat, OE BMW or other brand?

[lhordmclain]

Get an online baseline cost - BMW genuine / OE

- from Craig at Open Road BMW (732-839-4548 / [email protected])
- or BMW of Alexandria or bridgewater or parts BMW south Atlanta (they have an online parts)
- or at you local dealership

*** factoring shipping and tax (if applicable) with 2yrs unlimited miles warranty.



Then compare the discount price versus an OEM wahler or behr
I bet you will find the above mentioned dealership part(s) price very competitive.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by cn90

Wahler is OEM mfg.

And the part they supply as an OEM may be the same as the OE part from an official source. Or it may not be. Even if it physically fits.

[g300d]

OP, if you want to do more research check out the E46 forums. I'm sure you know that the 330i uses the same engine, and the E46 guys are a lot more talkative lol. There are a few long threads about M54 thermostats made by E46 owners out there.

[Joshdub]

Wahler and Behr are both typically good choices.

[RFaber]

Thanx guys for the replies, I ended up with the wahler one paid $85 Canadian bucks for it and was pretty happy with how it turned out, as always the most difficult part was threading the fan back onto the engine! . Drove the X5 for a few hours tonight and it ran flawlessly !

[bestvaluestore]

Originally Posted by RFaber

I have a rather urgent need to change the thermostat in my X5, it appears to be stuck closed (lower rad hose cool to the touch, and the temp guage says its barely out of the blue even after 5 min of highway driving. then POW! it rolls over to red. So i pulled over, waited 10 seconds, started her up and drove away with the temp guage in the blue! then as i was nearing my house, i noticed the temp warm up a bit, still not in the middle of the guage, but about 11 oclock, I suspect that the thermostat cooked in there for a bit until its fail safe seized it open, once i got home, i checked the hoses and they were quite hot, consistent with normal operating temps, i also had alot of heat output from the vents in the truck as well. (this was not the case 20 minutes to getting home!!)
I want to order a proper BMW thermostat, but they are pricey! and there is an aftermarket one ,Wahlye (spelling slips me at this point), from Napa thats close by, and a fair bit cheaper!
my question is, would any of you use an aftermarket supplier, or would you go to the BMW part, (purchased from an online source) or would you bite the bullet, and pay twice as much for the BMW original part from the stealership!?? The urgency of the job is whats wracking me at the moment, i have to get it done tommorrow morning, so my wife can take it out in the afternoon!!!! failing that i would order the bmw one online, and have it shipped in a few days!!
thanx,

Original is always better according my experience..

[cn90]

Originally Posted by RFaber

Thanx guys for the replies, I ended up with the wahler one paid $85 Canadian bucks for it and was pretty happy with how it turned out, as always the most difficult part was threading the fan back onto the engine! . Drove the X5 for a few hours tonight and it ran flawlessly !

1. For Fan Clutch re-installation, I wrote a trick using poultry cord below. I also use anti-seize:
DIY - Fan Clutch Nut Installation - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums

2. Look into "Cooling Overhaul" before you get the blown head gasket.