Thermostat Gates or OEM Volkswagen

PartReview Score

Rank #3 in ranking

4.3

Cabin heat

3.0

Overheating

4.5

Slow warm-up

1.2

Owners' choice:

Dodge RAM

PR Score

Ranking

Votes

Reviews

Average rating

Properties

Car

PartReview Score

Rank #1 in ranking

3.6

Cabin heat

2.6

Overheating

3.0

Slow warm-up

1.9

No data

Reviews

All

Gates

OEM Volkswagen

Gates › Thermostat

Pavlov_Maddog 15 Dec 2025, 20:29

Overheating:

Rating 5.0

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.

Pros: Gates are very good

Cons: cheap ones failed

OEM Volkswagen › Thermostat

TT99C5 3 Nov 2025, 22:20

Overheating:

Rating 4.0

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

OEM Volkswagen › Thermostat

T00m98 3 Nov 2025, 11:25

Overheating:

Rating 4.0

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

OEM Volkswagen › Thermostat

Weird_Elevator_3043 13 Oct 2025, 10:55

Overheating:

Rating 4.5

I used the genuine part as there is no desire to redo it again too soon.

Pros: reliable, long-lasting

Vehicle: Volkswagen Jetta

OEM Volkswagen › Thermostat

Kuriti 1 Sep 2025, 21:08

Overheating:

Rating 5.0

It has been two weeks since the repair without issues, so I am going to call this one solved. If I was paying for this out of pocket in the future, I would only replace the thermostat and not the pump as that is what was closing and causing the issue.

Pros: repair without issues

Vehicle: Volkswagen

Gates › Thermostat

Tiny-Lunch6983 13 Jul 2025, 04:34

Overheating:

Rating 5.0

I installed a Gates 33009S 195 degree after my Hughes install and haven’t had issues.

Pros: no issues

Vehicle: Dodge RAM

Part number: 33009S

OEM Volkswagen › Thermostat

XDleader555 10 Apr 2023, 04:46

Overheating:

Rating 3.0

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

OEM Volkswagen › Thermostat

blkjak 12 Nov 2019, 03:18

Rating 3.0

Parts 03F-010-501-B Sensor 04E-121-113-G

Vehicle: Volkswagen Jetta

Part number: 04E-121-113-G

Gates › Thermostat

catmanslim 10 Oct 2025, 03:21

Slow warm-up:
Overheating:
Cabin heat:

Rating 2.0

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.

Pros: quick operating temp

Cons: running cold, stuck open

OEM Volkswagen › Thermostat

Phaeton4me 23 Mar 2025, 17:52

Slow warm-up:
Overheating:

Rating 1.0

Original was stuck open, replaced with new VW which now appears to be stuck closed. ????. Fortunately I have recently acquired a new OE thermostat on clearance for jollies.

Cons: stuck open, stuck closed

Vehicle: Volkswagen Phaeton

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Which thermostat to choose — Gates 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:

Comparison of thermostat Gates and OEM Volkswagen

PR Score.
Overall ranking.
Vote balance.
Average rating.
Number of reviews.
Feature ratings.
Car owners’ choice.

Which thermostat are better — OEM Volkswagen or Gates?

In March 2026 on PartReview, thermostat Gates were overall better than OEM Volkswagen.

Gates received a PR Score of 85 out of 100, and OEM Volkswagen scored 73 points.
Gates ranked 3 in the overall ranking, and OEM Volkswagen ranked 1.
The average rating is higher for Gates (4.3) than for OEM Volkswagen (3.6).
Thermostat Gates have better feature ratings than OEM Volkswagen:
- Cabin heat - owners believe, that this property for Gates is better than OEM Volkswagen.
- Overheating - drivers claim, that this property for Gates is outperforms OEM Volkswagen.
- Slow warm-up - reviews suggest, that this property for OEM Volkswagen is preferred to Gates.

Which thermostat are more popular — Gates or OEM Volkswagen?

In March 2026 on PartReview, thermostat OEM Volkswagen were overall more popular than Gates.

By vote balance, thermostat OEM Volkswagen surpassed Gates:

For Gates, the ratio of positive (36) to negative (6) votes is 30 votes.
For OEM Volkswagen, the ratio of positive (56) to negative (20) votes is 36 votes.

By number of reviews, thermostat OEM Volkswagen surpassed Gates:

For thermostat Gates there are 14 reviews: 12 positive, 0 neutral, 2 negative.
For thermostat OEM Volkswagen there are 24 reviews: 16 positive, 4 neutral, 4 negative.

Which thermostat do car owners prefer — Gates or OEM Volkswagen?

In March 2026, according to PartReview, thermostat Gates led more car-specific ratings than OEM Volkswagen:

Gates are chosen by owners of cars such as: Dodge RAM, and others.

Thermostat OEM Volkswagen have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.

Other comparisons of thermostat

If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.

For example, comparisons of thermostat Gates with: MotoRad, Wahler, Mahle, OEM Mazda, MOPAR, MISHIMOTO, OEM BMW, OEM Nissan, OEM Audi, Duralast.

Also available: comparisons of thermostat OEM Volkswagen with: MotoRad, Wahler, Mahle, OEM Mazda, MOPAR, MISHIMOTO, 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.