How difficult to replace thermostat in Z3?

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Hi,

The thermostat on my 2002 z3 is leaking. Dealership wants ~$400 to replace. How hard would it be for a moderately handy person to do it? Where could I find instructions?

Thanks,



Kelly

2

Never replaced one for leaking. These are electrically controled thermostat,mostly got replaced because a engine code scan said failure in thermostat. They have a O ring to seal the housing. Its been awhile but I think the only odd part of the job was the hose connection. many were replaced under warranty job paid about 3 hours or as BMW says(fru’s=flat rate units)cost of the part was not the biggest concern.Job was not that hard but bleeding correctly was critical,if you dont get the air out you could crack the head,very easy to break the plastic bleed screw by over tightening. 400.00 is not a bad price when you consider the labor time the tech gets. BMW was by far the most generous manufacture in regards to flat rate. I dont reccommend you do this job yourself. IMHO

3

Sorry this is out of the topic, but what is the average timeframe to replace a thermostat (regular ones not electronic ones)

4

Thanks for the response. I had changed one before on an '83 civic, and that was a piece of cake, without any idea of bleeding or cracking the head. Simpler car for simpler times I guess.

Thanks again!