I only use Gates now after some cheap ones failed but didn't leak. Gates are very good. I have not had to replace one.
The gasket looks fine. Normal procedure would be to buy a new one from BMW. always go OEM with the thermostat, there's a lot of shit knockoffs.
I recently moved on from a 2016 X3 35i (N55) with a little over 100k miles on it. The only things to break on it were the thermostat and a control board for one of the headlight modules. When I replaced the thermostat I did the water pump as a precaution.
My 535i with the 740d thermostat sits at 90-95 during normal use, even sat stable at 95c during 40c weather in traffic. When beating on it in the mountains got it up to 99 at like 28c ambient.
I have this exact engine and installed a diesel thermostat. Previously, with the standard thermostat, the plastic timing chain guides would start to disintegrate after three years, but now I have no problem with that. The engine temperature is around 96°C.
Thermostat is an bmw part so its fine
Notice the radiator is leaking. Replace that. Car still not happy, cooling fans on full blast. Codes point to a thermostat, but the radiator hoses get warm. In my pea brain thermostats don't normally just sometimes go bad, they're typically either all broke or not broke. Ordered a thermostat from Trumplandia anyways.
I installed a Gates one a couple months back and it worked well for a little while; engine got up to operating temp fairly quickly and stayed there, but now it’s running really cold no matter how long or how hard I drive it. Think it’s stuck open.
I bought from FCP euro one of the OE water thermostat and water pump. The thermostat sticks open since new so I get check engine light on my M54 engine.
I have had brand new bmw thermostats not work and cause my car to get hot on the highway.
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If choosing thermostat across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare thermostat across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, thermostat Gates were overall better than OEM BMW.
In March 2026 on PartReview, thermostat OEM BMW were overall more popular than OEM BMW.
By vote balance, thermostat Gates surpassed OEM BMW:
By number of reviews, the manufacturers are equal:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, thermostat Gates led more car-specific ratings than OEM BMW:
Gates are chosen by owners of cars such as: Dodge RAM, and others.
Thermostat OEM BMW have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of thermostat Gates with: MotoRad, Wahler, OEM Volkswagen, Mahle, OEM Mazda, MOPAR, MISHIMOTO, OEM Nissan, OEM Audi, Duralast.
Also available: comparisons of thermostat OEM BMW with: MotoRad, Wahler, OEM Volkswagen, Mahle, OEM Mazda, MOPAR, MISHIMOTO, OEM Nissan, OEM Audi, Duralast.
You can also see who is better among other thermostat manufacturers: Wahler or MotoRad, OEM Volkswagen or MotoRad, Mahle or MotoRad, OEM Mazda or MotoRad, MOPAR or MotoRad.
