Panda Thermostat - what brand?

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

As I've been saying for some time, I really must get round to renewing Becky's thermostat. She's a 2010 1.2 dynamic eco so 60hp engine. I just went out and angled a mirror to allow me to clearly see the thermostat housing and it's the "simple" one. That is to say connection for top radiator hose only, no heater pipe connection or water temp sender.

I've recently seen a couple, at least, of posts criticising the Circoli branded product. Several local factors can supply me with First Line, Gates, Mahle branded product which are all brands I've found to produce good quality parts in the past (I'm especially "addicted" to Mahle filters) However I see Shop4parts are selling an Original Birth branded one for the same sort of price.

I will be doing services on both the Panda and my boy's Punto early in the new year so I could order the thermostat at the same time and save a wee bit cash. When I renewed the Panda's metal water pipe (the one that runs along the front of the block) they supplied an Original Birth branded pipe and I've also had an OB branded breather pipe too. Both were of very good quality so I'm tempted by the thermostat.

So, has anyone fitted one? If so how long ago fitted and how is it performing?

 

[Eklipze3k]

Moved to Panda section, seemed to be more fitting

 

[Jockcl500]

I haven't changed mine yet, can you see a brand name on the thermostat housing?
looking at ECP Circoli seem to be the preferred brand, and Italian made I think.
I wonder what brand they would supply from the Fiat main dealer.

 

[koalar]

I have fitted 3x cheapest I could find around £10

all were working and holding the temperature bang in the middle and had no problems in the two or three years I had the cars

don't know what else you'd want really


They aren't as well made as the original. Rougher casting and not as smooth on the inside. You pays your money and take you're choice

 

[The Panda Nut]

I don't know if they do thermostats but blueprint.com parts seem to be excellent. They are Febi / Bilstein. I have had a variety of things from them and they ahve all bee as good as or clearly better than the manufacturers parts and a fraction of the price. There are of course even cheaper parts but the fit of their brake parts has been not good but exemplary.

 

[jrkitching]

I've recently seen a couple, at least, of posts criticising the Circoli branded product.

I've seen those posts too.

That said, I fitted a Circoli one about a year and a half ago, cost me less than £8 from Euro. So far, all is well.

Even the OEM ones aren't much good; there have been quite a few posts from folks who've had the rubber seal disintegrate.

The one that I definitely wouldn't buy is a Fiat branded OEM one; it's not worth the extra cost.

At least it's a straightforward, easy job to fit.

 

[GeorgeDamper]

I got mine from Eurocarcare in Derby. Not the cheapest but most of their stuff is OE equivalent.

Their website is handy for cross reference etc.

(Always ask for Big Mick)

https://www.eurocarcare.net/thermostats/ecc7589135-thermostat.html

 

[koalar]

I've seen those posts too.

That said, I fitted a Circoli one about a year and a half ago, cost me less than £8 from Euro. So far, all is well.

Even the OEM ones aren't much good; there have been quite a few posts from folks who've had the rubber seal disintegrate.

The one that I definitely wouldn't buy is a Fiat branded OEM one; it's not worth the extra cost.

At least it's a straightforward, easy job to fit.

agreed

they all fail general around 10-15 year mark

rubber seal normally perished and none existent


if you compare the Circoli with the Birth looking down the inside the Birth is more streamlined doesn't cause any problems though. Also the outer casing wasn't as good around where the Hose connects. Cant remember the other make I fitted. But that also worked fine. It was a well known pattern part manufacture like Blueprint. If someone mention it I would recognise it. In a green box



Half of what you read is biased according to how many are sold. I fitted a transmech clutch which has really bad review but its sold in vast numbers. Its has a odd molding mark which is the same on the Blueprint one so they are the same but because there aren't as many sold it doesn't get as many bad reviews. While researching the clutch the LUK had far more bad reviews

Also on forums people seem to berate the cheaper brands even though they haven't tried them for themselves. Just because its cheaper doesn't mean its not up to the job. Sometimes is isn't, sometimes it is, you need to have real world experience before you can come to any conclusion

 

[Eklipze3k]

I got mine from Eurocarcare in Derby. Not the cheapest but most of their stuff is OE equivalent.

Their website is handy for cross reference etc.

(Always ask for Big Mick)

https://www.eurocarcare.net/thermostats/ecc7589135-thermostat.html

Big Mick has done me some great service in the past, I once ordered a full set of brakes for the Seicento but forgot to order any brake fluid, when it arrived he'd chucked in 2 bottles of DOT4 and a Mars bar

 

[DaveMcT]

I've found Shop 4 Parts very helpful and they will always say when an OEM equivalent is available.

Original Birth (OEM number - 7589135)
https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Product&ProdID=470

Gasket
https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Product&ProdID=6243

 

[jrkitching]

The Circoli one should come with a gasket included. Mine did .

No reason to believe it won't last the remaining life of the car. And if it doesn't, well, it was only £8 and it's an easy job.

You have to use your brain when deciding what parts to buy. Sometimes a cheap part will give just as good service as a more expensive one. However, if a part is going to require a day's awkward dismantling to fit, then I'll spend whatever it costs to buy the very best quality one available.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Moved to Panda section, seemed to be more fitting

Sorry if I posted in the "wrong" section. However I decided to post in Leisure lounge because these thermostats are common to not just Pandas but any of the earlier FIRE engines. So by posting in the leisure lounge I had hoped to, perhaps, "suck in" a wider audience who might have actually used one.

So, sorry, but I just thought I'd explain myself.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Thanks so much everyone, what a wonderful response. Rather than tick all the posts individually I decided to make this post to thank you all. In the past I've never been "precious" about thermostat brand, I'd just fit whatever my factor supplied. I really only made this post having read the ones about the Circoli failures. Had a whole lot of you all recommended one particular brand I'd probably have gone for it. I did, just out of interest, ring the local main dealer stores - Big breath and sit down, £32. I thought he was quoting me for the more complicated later version, but apparently not. I didn't bother asking if it included VAT! Oh, and they would have had to order it too.

Just in the last couple of days the needle is struggling to hit the quarter mark on the gauge so I've decided to wait 'till into the new year with my S4p service parts order (I like to always service a car before it goes for MOT and the Punto is due Feb and the Panda in March) and just buy whatever thermostat brand SRS (who are 5 minutes away in the car) supply me with for the Panda. I think they mentioned £10 when I was in about a week ago but that will be plus VAT. - I'm confident it'll be just fine.

Thanks again everyone for such a helpful response.

 

[Jockcl500]

I think they mentioned £10 when I was in about a week ago but that will be plus VAT
.

The Cricoli is under £10 at ecp but the prices for most things have been going mad recently, I bought a condenser for the Panda about 2 months ago for £26 now it is £93
So if I am going to buy anything, I will get it now if it's a good price to avoid any crazy price increase, even if I'm not going to do the job right now.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

The Cricoli is under £10 at ecp but the prices for most things have been going mad recently, I bought a condenser for the Panda about 2 months ago for £26 now it is £93
So if I am going to buy anything, I will get it now if it's a good price to avoid any crazy price increase, even if I'm not going to do the job right now.

Hmm, just been on S4p website checking out some prices in preparation for my service parts order for the Panda and Punto after Christmas and I've noticed some things are "temporarily out of stock". I've not really noticed that before. For instance they've got my thermostat but not the gasket!

 

[chris3234]

Hmm, just been on S4p website checking out some prices in preparation for my service parts order for the Panda and Punto after Christmas and I've noticed some things are "temporarily out of stock". I've not really noticed that before. For instance they've got my thermostat but not the gasket!

I've noticed that with a lot of car parts this year

For instance I tired order two different brands of pollen filter for my Tipo both out of stock and was 6+ weeks before production was starting

 

[Jockcl500]

Hmm, just been on S4p website checking out some prices in preparation for my service parts order for the Panda and Punto after Christmas and I've noticed some things are "temporarily out of stock". I've not really noticed that before. For instance they've got my thermostat but not the gasket!

I have noticed the same thing, but not just car parts, tools, appliances, computers, paint, since the lockdown, almost everything has had stock issues... will it ever recover, probably, but with price increases especially if it is coming from outside the uk.

 

[DaveMcT]

This isn't too bad
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-...362888?hash=item3fa272a888:g:QrEAAOSwVuNbKPfg

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Just realized I never finished off the "story" here. I bought the Original Birth branded one from S4p and fitted it a couple of weeks, or so, ago and posted somewhere else in the forum all about it. It's working brilliantly! Over a year with little heat coming from the heater but nice and toasty now! Mrs J is very pleased.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

And another wee PS. Unsurprisingly she produced the best emission figures on her MOT that I've seen since we bought her which just all goes to prove, as we all know, that a faulty thermostat allowing an engine to run "cold" always has the possibility of giving you an MOT failure to say nothing of destroying prospects of good MPG figures.