DIY Thermostat Replacement

[DLAB]

Hey guys,

My thermostat went kaput at 60k miles. After researching options, I decided to DIY it. The dealer was charging $1,300 and my local indy shops were either fully booked or hadn't performed this job before. Hopefully the video and notes I took (below) will help you if you decide to do this job yourself.

Video
Notes

[Jroyalty7]

Awesome and thank you for throwing this all together!! Will be found the same preemptively in the upcoming weeks. Perfect timing!!

[supriyo82]

Absolutely brilliant. The details with which you have documented everything is commendable. I am sure people who are into DIY stuff would love this information.

Thanks for sharing.

[A.C.]

Subscribed. Thanks

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[AudiSTL]

great job this will save $1300 for a lot of people out there

[0000_S5]

Subscribed, thanks.


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[jygesq]

THANKS for your effort in you tubing your repair. Way above my pay grade! But a great viewing experience. Thanks again.

[Oloung1]

great work man, thanks for the detailed video plus notes!

[LYKUNO]

One of the best DIY's I've seen here. A few specialized tools, and I may never do this myself, but I watched the entire video and it was well worth the time spent to learn what it takes to change the thermostat. Excellent! Thanks!

[Nvius]

Great, DIY. Had to replace mine a couple months back at my shop. They charged ~$700.

[Senseless]

How long did it take, start to finish?

[B72.0T]

Good stuff, even though my thermostat took a shit while still under warranty (replaced), I still watched the video just to see what it takes. Great write-up.

[DLAB]

How long did it take, start to finish?

It's hard to say because I took my time and picked away at it over a span of about two weeks. In total, probably around 10 hours or so. I could see how with prior experience and a helping hand, you could probably cut that in half. Most shops are quoting 5.5-6 hours.

[mgaman]

Fantastic job and thank you for the video. I wish I had time to do this for my just-failed thermostat, but with the baby days away I just don't have time, so off to the dealership it goes ><

Here's hoping the so far worth every penny warranty covers it.

[jdcarnes]

Great write up. I just conquered this job myself a couple weeks ago.
The first right up in the notes is the one that I used. I also got silver sharpies and marked the connectors to make it easier.

Couple added notes:

Recommendations. Loosen the supercharger bleeder screws before putting the supercharger back on the car.
I broke both of mine and had to tap them out with a M8 x 1.00. Recommend getting aluminum bleeder screws to replace. Audi themselves use pressure bleeding; however, without the required equipment the screws are your only hope.
http://www.brakeconnect.com/product/banjo-bolt-m8-x-1-0

Putting into service position will help as well to give yourself another couple inches. Worth the extra 10 mins and $10 for longer bolts.

Instead of dowels, I used (2) 8" x 1/2" drive extensions.

Best of Luck