Thermostat replacement - how much did the dealer charge you?

[zcd2.7t]

So, mine's gone bad, and the dealership has offered to "split the cost of the replacement" with me, which translates to me paying $750. Even given the location of the thermostat, $1500 seems like a lot to me for that repair...

Can anyone chime in with how much they've paid to replace the thermostat at a dealer, out of warranty? TIA!

(Original thermostat was replaced under the recall/service action at 8K miles, car now has 81K...)

[MNS4]

I complained mine down to $1,100

[hodrosS42001]

So, mine's gone bad, and the dealership has offered to "split the cost of the replacement" with me, which translates to me paying $750. Even given the location of the thermostat, $1500 seems like a lot to me for that repair...

Can anyone chime in with how much they've paid to replace the thermostat at a dealer, out of warranty? TIA!

(Original thermostat was replaced under the recall/service action at 8K miles, car now has 81K...)

Why not replace it yourself? It's not an engine pull it's quite easy to get to

[infinkc]

Why not replace it yourself? It's not an engine pull it's quite easy to get to

yea, the whole job can be done in less than 2 hours if you know what you are doing. the part cost is around $75, so i wouldn't pay more than 350 for the job.

[zcd2.7t]

yea, the whole job can be done in less than 2 hours if you know what you are doing. the part cost is around $75, so i wouldn't pay more than 350 for the job.

I don't (...know what I'm doing), I have no time, and the car is at the dealer, so.....

[DEEZ]

Mine is being done as we speak from my local tuner shop with certified audi techs for $645 and that included a tow from my office.

[KarimS3]

I would do it if they have provided you with a free loaner.

[schirm]

All theses Thermostat threads is making me scared. 75,000 miles still on the original one.

[saxon]

All theses Thermostat threads is making me scared. 75,000 miles still on the original one.

Buy a new one and do it as preventative maintenance

[zcd2.7t]

Update: Another local dealer quoted ~$1000.00 including tax, so my hunch that this particular dealer is overstating the total charges a bit seems to have been correct.

That said, they've agreed to knock a bit more off, so I'm going to have them do this for convenience' sake.

I still feel like AOA/Audi should be replacing this at no charge given the recall and all, but I don't have time or the inclination to fight it any more.

[esimp2k]

Yikes. That's why I went cpo. Cost me 85 including a new sc belt while they were there at 75k miles.

[mmm def]

Paul miller Audi just quoted me $750 for the job

[vwong]

When my 2nd thermostat went out, my dealer quoted me a little over $900 plus tax. I ended up fixing it myself for about $50 (for a new OEM thermostat).

[jlaudio]

Why is there such discrepancies in price? If they are quoting by the book, the only variable should be labor cost. I've never seen an Audi dealer charge less than $110/hr.

[SwankPeRFection]

You need to argue with the dealer and Audi of America about this because the thermostat on the new S4's are known for a bad failure rate due to design issues. I wouldn't pay shit for this crap. Unless I'm mistaken, there is a TSB for it failing left and right, just like the water pumps. If so, use that as your excuse. It's bullshit, I wouldn't stand for it man. Fight tooth and nail!

[kandrei]

Are there any do it yourself threads on how to change this yourself?

[zcd2.7t]

You need to argue with the dealer and Audi of America...I wouldn't pay shit for this crap....It's bullshit, I wouldn't stand for it man. Fight tooth and nail!

I agree and I did speak to both, but this is the best they'd offer.

I don't want to pay, but I need my car, so I'm moving on.

[BoostEasy]

Jeebus- $1000 for a thermostat change! I guess that's why people call them 'stealerships'.

After looking over Infinkc's DIY, this does NOT look like a very difficult job. I especially liked the coolant system evacuator "lifter" that was used to purge the system of air. Very nice.

I can't imagine how a t-stat replacement job would take more than 3 hours tops, and even at a $125/hr that's maybe $450 with the part. WTF.

[BoostEasy]

I agree and I did speak to both, but this is the best they'd offer.

I don't want to pay, but I need my car, so I'm moving on.

Please, please ask for the dead thermostat back and mail it to me. I'll paypal you for the shipping/trouble. I want to see WTF is breaking on this stupid thing and figure out a fix. This is ridiculous, esp if the part you're putting back in is probably made the same way.

BMW owners went through the same sh!t with the N54 high-pressure fuel pump for several years and as soon as people lined up behind a class-action suit, next thing you know, surprise! BMW offered a 100k mi 10/yr warranty on the HPFPs. That's what it took because they knew they were toast either by the suit or the NTSB (sudden loss of power at highway speeds is dangerous re braking etc) so they rolled over.

[Sundowner]

Paul miller Audi just quoted me $750 for the job

Try Jack Daniels. They've been cheaper than Paul Miller on my last few visits. I feel they do better work, too. Had issues with PM in the past.

[zcd2.7t]

Please, please ask for the dead thermostat back and mail it to me. I'll paypal you for the shipping/trouble. I want to see WTF is breaking on this stupid thing and figure out a fix...

I'll see what I can do.

[Dr GP]

I would never take it to an Audi dealer if it were not covered under warranty. I'm sure an indy service tech can do the job for a lot less money. There is really no advanced training or technology needed for this job. You are basically paying for labor and a $75 part. @$100/ hr the whole thing should cost less than $400.

[mact3333]

There should be a recall for this part...obvious has design flaws...like its made out of brittle plastic for starters...I would be annoyed if I had to pay out of pocket for this repair...mine got replaced a few weeks ago.

[shadycrew31]

Is there an updated PN? ECS is selling it for $47

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B8_S4-...tat/ES2640066/

[Justin517]

That $750 half price is still double what you would pay at a good independent Audi shop. I'd find one.


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[Sundowner]

What is actually failing on these things? Is the housing cracking? The spring going bad? Can't fix it if we don't know what's broke

[shadycrew31]

What is actually failing on these things? Is the housing cracking? The spring going bad? Can't fix it if we don't know what's broke

The plastic gets brittle overtime and breaks forcing the tstat to close...

[infinkc]

The plastic gets brittle overtime and breaks forcing the tstat to close...

Doesn't seem the case for some though, some are just getting jammed closed.

[ASDBS]

Doesn't seem the case for some though, some are just getting jammed closed.

Mine got jammed closed, covered by warranty.
Job took less then 3 hours, I think the book time is 4 though.

[shadycrew31]

Doesn't seem the case for some though, some are just getting jammed closed.

Well shit there goes that theory.

I'm going to replace mine when I pull the SC off to decarb.

Makes it hard to build an aftermarket part when the unit has so many modes of failure.

[Sundowner]

The plastic gets brittle overtime and breaks forcing the tstat to close...

what_the_actual_fuck.
T stats are supposed to fail OPEN so the engine doesn't DIE a horrible death.
This has been best engineering practice since the beginning of days.

[shadycrew31]

I'd like to see AMS or APR take a stab at it thought.

[shadycrew31]

what_the_actual_fuck.
T stats are supposed to fail OPEN so the engine doesn't DIE a horrible death.
This has been best engineering practice since the beginning of days.

My guess is they would rather have the engine overheat then overcool, its hard to tell when an engine is overcooling.

[S4-Fan]

I'm in the middle of swapping mine out. Had to put the front end in the service position to get to the belt tensioner, but the swap is going okay so far. The old tstat is out (nothing visibly wrong, just apparently not opening anymore) and I'm waiting on the new one from ECS.

I also installed a new water pump, I had the metal unit already, but figured what is another $50 for a new one while I had all this apart. 64k miles on my 2010, just got it a month ago...

Oh, does anyone know if any of the tstats have failed that were the part number ending in AL? Seems to be the newest part, wondering if they are better pieces. My old tstat is the earlier part number. I assume it was probably replaced when the water pump was originally.

[BoostEasy]

I'm in the middle of swapping mine out. Had to put the front end in the service position to get to the belt tensioner, but the swap is going okay so far. The old tstat is out (nothing visibly wrong, just apparently not opening anymore) and I'm waiting on the new one from ECS.

I also installed a new water pump, I had the metal unit already, but figured what is another $50 for a new one while I had all this apart. 64k miles on my 2010, just got it a month ago...

Oh, does anyone know if any of the tstats have failed that were the part number ending in AL? Seems to be the newest part, wondering if they are better pieces. My old tstat is the earlier part number. I assume it was probably replaced when the water pump was originally.

What was the symptom that lead you to pull the t-stat? Overheating/cooling or just preventive maintenance?

pix?

[SwankPeRFection]

I'm in the middle of swapping mine out. Had to put the front end in the service position to get to the belt tensioner, but the swap is going okay so far. The old tstat is out (nothing visibly wrong, just apparently not opening anymore) and I'm waiting on the new one from ECS.

I also installed a new water pump, I had the metal unit already, but figured what is another $50 for a new one while I had all this apart. 64k miles on my 2010, just got it a month ago...

Oh, does anyone know if any of the tstats have failed that were the part number ending in AL? Seems to be the newest part, wondering if they are better pieces. My old tstat is the earlier part number. I assume it was probably replaced when the water pump was originally.

Put the old t-stat in some boiling water and see if it opens properly. It should move as it heats up and cools.

[vwong]

The plastic gets brittle overtime and breaks forcing the tstat to close...

Mine didn't have any broken plastic pieces. I put the old and new side by side, and couldn't tell any visible differences.

[Sundowner]

Mine didn't have any broken plastic pieces. I put the old and new side by side, and couldn't tell any visible differences.

throw both the new and the old in boiling water to see what they do. if there's something broken, it should rear it's ugly head quickly.
I'd do the new one too since you'll likely want to be sure it works before you spend 2 hours burying it in your engine.

I long for the old days when a T-stat on my 69 Mach 1 took all of 8 minutes to change out.

[Brooklyn]

I had a 2011 that came with the new part. Started smelling coolant and noticed significant coolant loss without signs of any leaks by my 5k service. They replaced the tstat at the 5k. Continued noticing coolant loss throughout the next 40k+ miles and complained about it each time to the dealer. Tstat died right at around 52k or so. Brought back all of my old service worksheets documenting my complaints about the coolant loss and argued this was obviously an ongoing problem. Dealer replaced for free. Got rid of the car at 90k or so. It's not a matter of if, but when it will fail.

[S4-Fan]

What was the symptom that lead you to pull the t-stat? Overheating/cooling or just preventive maintenance?

pix?

Car started overhearing out of the blue on way to work one day last week. Started to throw an overheating warning to check coolant level. Level was not low. Had to be the tstat failed close.

Had to limp it back home. I could park and then turn the car off, wait 15ish minutes and then it would be cool enough to drive 2-3 miles (no traffic) before getting up near the red zone again. Took 3-4 sessions to get it home... Unfortunately I didn't think to run the heater, which may have helped according to some other posts here.

I am taking some pics of the install, but I haven't had time to finish the install and edit them up... Just got the new thermo today from ecs.