What brand thermostat housings does anyone recommend ; I noticed plastic and aftermarket aluminum (UR0 brand)? Thanks...

 

The MINI OE Thermostat/Housing/Gasket.

 

 

I absolutely plan on replacing my housing with aluminum when the time comes. Plastic T-stat housings suck and will always fail at some point. I'll never understand why so many people cling to "BMW designed it, therefore it is best". What about, "BMW designed it, therefore it was designed to be as cheap as possible and last only as long as the warranty required, if that"?

After having multiple plastic housing failures on our VR6 track car, we upgraded to aluminum and haven't had an issue since. "Factory Fanboys" drive me crazy. The OEM's don't know what is best, they know what is needed to meet a certain price point. Planned obsolescence is absolutely a thing.

Ugh. I've had my coffee and you still made me rant. Dammit.

 

Cut back on the caffeine might help. I had my double espresso. Some of us don't blindly subscribe to all plastic are bad, and metal is always better. But then I don't profess to have a track car.

Here is one quite recent good thread on this subject.

 

As to parts quality, I certainly will call a spade a spade, and I'm definitely not a "Factory Fanboy," but my plastic housing, now with 142,000 miles on it, has yet to fail. Comparing its life to those mounted to engines that race is comparing apples to oranges.

If the OP doesn't track his car, it's likely that a replacement 'plastic fantastic' OE thermostat housing will last the remainder of the life of the car.