Can I replace my thermostat on my own so I can avoid
a 3 hour drive to the dealer. Pretty well have the diagnosis
clinched.......it has all the symptoms described in the forum.
Thanks

 

There are some BMW owners on other sites that would say no even to interim oil changes at an independent shop - I had an oil change on my 2011 535i and took the risk ;-)

And what if it is not the thermostat? It's a PITA but I would make a day of it and get it down right. YMMV.

 

Since you own the car, you can do what you like with it. If you buy a thermostat temperature sensor or any other MINI OEM part and install it yourself, there is probably a MINI warranty on its function, but it is likely to be a short warranty (6 months or a year???). If you bring your car to a dealer and they install it under the 4 year factory warranty, then it is covered until the original 4 years are up.

If it were me (2.5 hrs away from nearest dealer), I would schedule the repair with a dealer. You should get a loaner for the time the car is out of service.

 

You can replace it, but you'll obviously have to buy the part. Not sure how much it costs.

I'm not sure how hard the thermostat is to get to, but it can't be that hard, right? I'm guessing it's somewhere under the air intake, because I had a loose hose clamp on my air intake after they replaced mine. Nothing damaged, thankfully, but it could have been a problem if the hose had come loose.