All said and done it was $680, $320 of which was out of pocket. Eighteen month warranty on parts and labor. All in all I am glad I had them do it, they are decent honest guys as far as I can tell.
EuroService Automotive, New Baltimore/Warrenton VA

 

Yikes that must have gotten hot. Never seen it melt.

 

all that damage before the idiot light even came on.....

 

Interesting. Found this thread on a search for average pricing on having the thermostat done.

I'm pretty mechanically inclined, time seems to be my biggest issue.

I don't go to dealers and I haven't talked to a British/German Indy shop yet, but I did call my old mechanic. Used them for years on various things and I trust them.

They're not MINI specialists, but more or less work on everything. They quoted me $147 for the part from MINI and $250 for labor. He said it was basically a 3 hour job.

So, I'll most likely source the part myself and either try it or for $250 I may let them do it.

 

2008 with 103,000 miles....... Paid $350.00 to have it done at a local garage.

 

The labor does take some time on this job to get it right. Not the biggest job. But there are plenty of DIY i linked.

 

That picture with the engine (cut in half) in my experience is not a good thing. Not trying to freak you out. But when that same light came on mine, it was from a stretched timing chain. It advanced itself while I was driving some time back in college. It obviously wasn't a pleasantly cheap repair. If I were you, and understand this is my personal view, try and do the thermostat yourself just to save the extra money. Its a win win in my eyes. You learn something and save money for those extra mods

 

Not a bad quote for the labor time and thermostat price. As you can see our thermostat HERE. Our DIY lists about 3 hours for the job and $150 for the part.

 

DELETED ; oops, wrong thread!

 

R56S / N14 + 50k Miles + Timing Chain Rattle When Cold = High Probability Of Impending Doom


I would listen to that shop & scrutinize the way it sounds when started cold as many an N14 owner hasn't made it to anywhere near 50k miles before replacement or failure of the timing chain/guides/tensioner. The good news is I believe it may be under factory warranty if dealer doesn't blow you off.