Theres a hole in my bucket dear Liza, dear Liza.........

Well, er, now your asking... If it's anything like the one on my Fiesta diesel, it'll be a thermostat integral in a plastic housing and the complete unit has to be changed. Otherwise, if the thermostat is a separate unit inside the housing, then 'appen a new gasket or housing and seal can be fitted. You'll need a Hayne's or check what the parts look like on e-Bay.

As for letting the garage do it, well, the chap will just do what he's asked to and only a diligent mechanic will tell you if there's any other problems which get uncovered. Let me tell you a little story...

When I got my leaking thermostat-and-housing unit off (a bad design - the rubber seal inside swells over the years and breaks the plastic wall of the housing - and there's no way I can see to modify it ), I found that next to it was a plastic coolant pipe coming from the back of the engine. One of the two gear-change cables had been rubbing its way through the plastic pipe and that would have been a beggar to change. I cut the aluminium collar off a wine bottle, wrapped it around the plastic pipe and wrapped it over with self-amalgamating tape - then fastened the gear-change cable so's it shouldn't contact the pipe again.

The moral of the story is, if the job looks fairly simple, have a go yourself and check for other potential problems whilst you're at it.

I've just had a look on e-Bay and someone's offering a USED thermostat housing for 18 quid! What's the use of a used one that's half-way to starting to leak? I've seen sellers trying to sell used air filters as well! I'll bet there someone who's even tried to sell a used oil filter before now!

Edited by MrEckerslikefromRamsbottom on 04/04/2015 at 20:55