davesbedroom

My 2002 has used up the life of the 5-year/100,000 mile Dex-cool, so I figure its time to have this done before the weather heats up.

I called two dealerships for a quote on this service and both did not change the thermostat as part of the service. I figured this would be something that they would normally do because it would probably be easy to do while they do the flush?

I asked how much more for the thermostat to be changed as part of the service and the price jumped $148 more.

Do you recommend an interval when to change the thermostat?

JWB ZO6

I do my own so I can't help you with the price. It seams like a lot to me though.

davesbedroom

When you do it on your own, do you change the thermostat as part of the procedure or is the old one good to go?

Bill Dearborn

I don't change the thermostat unless there is a problem with it.

However, $148 is a lot of money for a thermostat change.

Bill

jovette

C5 thermostat on an '00 is about $ 50 from one of the forum supporting vendors

davesbedroom

Now I can understand the dealer quote for the thermostat change because they probably figure 1 hr labor + thermostat is ~ $150

I haven't done a coolant flush myself in probably about 9 years because of the mess it makes. I'd rather pay and have a dealer handle the environment cleanup. Local auto parts stores around me don't take used coolant and I'm not going to pour it on my lawn or down the drain.

I remember I did the job on an 89 Cadillac 5.0 V8 and I changed the thermostat because it was about $19 for the thermostat, and if I'm correct, when you flush a cooling system; you should take our the thermostat so that it does not collect all the debris in the system that you have in it during the flush. Also thermostats are hard working parts and cheap insurance to change, because it is a big deal if they stick closed when you are cruising on the hwy.

2 questions to finish this up.

Do you take out your thermostat when you do the flush, or do you simply remove the old coolant and replace with new? What is your procedure?

Would you replace a thermostat after 5 years and 31,000 miles as a precautionary measure?

davesbedroom

corvettedoug

I would only change the thermostat if it is malifunctioning or your dexcool has turned to the dreaded sludge. I have seen what that does and it is nasty.

mellowyellow01vert

If your engine is running in the normal operating temp range, and you are not changing your Tstat to lower your temp range, as in Florida, then there should not be a reason to replace your Tstat. I will agree that for the peace-of-mind aspect, it would be worth considering when you change your coolant. I will give you this to consider, you can buy a complete Tstat and housing, (180*), for under $30 from most of the chain parts stores. Keep this in mind when they want to charge you $60 or $90 for the part plus install.