Charged for thermostat housing?!!

[saturnmom77]

Hello again! Just a quick question. As I now find this odd, after seeing the t-stat replacement video.

My thermostat was stuck "cockeyed" and rubbing against the inner part. The mechanic showed it to me because I asked to see it after the job was finished.

I paid 40$ for the housing and t-stat parts. Shouldn't he have reused the old housing instead?

[amazinghl]

I would have.

[DonP]

Usually one can reuse the housing, but it is possible it was damaged, which might have cause the old t-stat to sit cockeyed in it; e.g., one of fhe "arms" that hold the t-stat in place may have been broken.

Also, some places may only stock the complete assembly in the interest of reducing inventory.

T-stat element alone might have saved around $20 if the old housing was good. How much did the labor run?

[StarrAuto]

I'm not saying its not avalible, but every t-stat I've ever had to purchase for an S-series comes complete houseing and t-stat... For some reason unless you order it online, I cant seem to get just the t-stat around here.

[toddmog]

Originally Posted by StarrAuto

I'm not saying its not avalible, but every t-stat I've ever had to purchase for an S-series comes complete houseing and t-stat... For some reason unless you order it online, I cant seem to get just the t-stat around here.

Last week I ordered a t-stat from Rock Auto. It didn't come with a housing and was around $17 and some change. All my local stores...Autozone, Advance Auto, & Oreilly's had them for around $25...also no housing. So my experience has been that I haven't seen one with the housing.

[off-track]

It may be an option depending on the supplier/source? Mine came from AZ and it was the t-stat and housing as one piece. Whenever a mechanic does it they will add a retail difference as well. The counter price rarely is close to the shop price. That's just the way things work.

I used to see this all the time from parts suppliers but not so much anymore... The only chain FLAPS I've seen here that still does it is O'reilly's. Look closely at the receipt. It will list two prices. Just last week I grabbed two gallons of antifreeze. The "list" price was around $45!!

[OldNuc]

At the more enlightened parts houses you can buy just the element or the element and housing. It may be in some parts of the country they have found by tracking sales that one is a better seller than the other. this is usually what determines a given part availability and the stocking level.

[mkaresh]

I have no idea how likely the housing is to fail in these cars. In my wife's PT Cruiser, the part is hard to access and it was the housing that cracked. So in the PT at least it makes sense to replace one when you replace the other.

Is access easy in the S-Series?

[DonP]

Is access easy in the S-Series?

Reasonably easy. Some individuals may have difficulty reaching around their A/C compressor.

Use a 6-point socket, not a 12-point, to minimize the chance of rounding the bolt head.

[madpogue]

SS-WAG (semi-scientific wild-@$$ guess): the dislocated thermostat gouged the inside of the housing, in a way that would either allow coolant to leak externally, or bypass the thermostat even when closed. When you say the mechanic "showed it to you", did s/he show you the housing, or just the thermostat?

[saturnmom77]

DonP The labour was 60$. (Canadian prices!)

Madpogue He showed me both. Quickly, there was another customer
waiting for a scan.