vs
Thermostat Wahler or OEM Volkswagen
Reviews
In the past and up to several months ago, I’ve always gone with Saleri (Italy) pumps and Wahler (Germany) thermostats for the M54 and have had great results.
Pros: great results
I had a bad thermostat and it's only indication was the temp rising when going up hills under sustained load.
Pros: temp rising under load
Cons: temp rising
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat
Mileage: 210000 km
I had a wahler thermostat and my temp range was 93-96
Pros: stable temperature range
Vehicle:
BMW
I had this year ago, thermostat was stuck closed, so coolant couldnt go to big circle and into cooler, it went up after 10 minutes of highway driving up to 115° (obd temps) on dash it wasnt that much
Pros: coolant couldn't go cooler
Cons: thermostat stuck closed
I used the genuine part as there is no desire to redo it again too soon.
Pros: reliable, long-lasting
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Jetta
Sounds like your water pump is working, but maybe your thermostat is stuck closed? Have you tested the thermostat?
Pros: water pump working
Cons: thermostat stuck closed
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Golf
I recently changed the thermostat on my dad's car as well, I went with a wahler, and I'm observing the same things.
Cons: observing the same things
I decided to try another thermostat, this time a Wahler and nothing has changed as the car will still not get up to temperature and no hot air.
Cons: car not reaching temperature, no hot air
Vehicle:
BMW
I changed on mine 2-3 months ago with a new one from Wahler/Borg Warner and now it's leaking through the connector.
Cons: leaking through connector
I have experienced same with Wahler thermostat.
Cons: same problem experienced
Vehicle:
BMW
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Which thermostat to choose — Wahler or OEM Volkswagen?
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:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which thermostat are better — OEM Volkswagen or Wahler?
In March 2026 on PartReview, thermostat OEM Volkswagen were overall better than Wahler.
- Wahler received a PR Score of 48 out of 100, and OEM Volkswagen scored 73 points.
- Wahler ranked 13 in the overall ranking, and OEM Volkswagen ranked 1.
- The average rating is higher for OEM Volkswagen (3.6) than for Wahler (2.9).
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Thermostat OEM Volkswagen have better feature ratings than Wahler:
- Slow warm-up - owners believe, that this property for Wahler is better than OEM Volkswagen.
- Cabin heat - drivers claim, that this property for OEM Volkswagen is outperforms Wahler.
- Overheating - reviews suggest, that this property for OEM Volkswagen is preferred to Wahler.
Which thermostat are more popular — Wahler or OEM Volkswagen?
Thermostat Wahler and OEM Volkswagen were equally popular according to data in March 2026.
By vote balance, thermostat OEM Volkswagen surpassed Wahler:
- For Wahler, the ratio of positive (41) to negative (44) votes is -3 votes.
- For OEM Volkswagen, the ratio of positive (56) to negative (20) votes is 36 votes.
By number of reviews, thermostat Wahler surpassed OEM Volkswagen:
- For thermostat Wahler there are 28 reviews: 13 positive, 1 neutral, 14 negative.
- For thermostat OEM Volkswagen there are 24 reviews: 16 positive, 4 neutral, 4 negative.
Which thermostat do car owners prefer — Wahler or OEM Volkswagen?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, thermostat Wahler and OEM Volkswagen have not taken top places in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding your review about these manufacturers.
Other comparisons of thermostat
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of thermostat Wahler with: MotoRad, Mahle, OEM Mazda, MOPAR, MISHIMOTO, Gates, OEM BMW, OEM Nissan, OEM Audi, Duralast.
Also available: comparisons of thermostat OEM Volkswagen with: MotoRad, Mahle, OEM Mazda, MOPAR, MISHIMOTO, Gates, OEM BMW, 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.