Thermostat OEM Audi or Wahler

I replaced the thermostat myself. It’s in a pretty bad place, hidden under the intake manifold. It took me about 3 hours to get the job done, had to use a mirror to see the screws. Mine was stuck open so the car in winter time wouldn’t even reach 190 F. I bought an OEM Wahler 07K121113B thermostat from Amazon for like 30$, so far has been working great.

the 80c has been running flawless. Only difference is that my coolant stays at 83-94c. It used to get as high as 100 sometimes. Also the 80c part was recommended oe part #

Been running the 80 for a month or so. It works great. Car and Temps run flawlessly. Only difference is my average warmed up Temps are 85c. Used to be 95c

I installed a Wahler thermostat a little over a year ago and it's still holding strong.

I finally got around to installing a new thermostat/o-ring/housing and coolant reservoir/cap yesterday. When removing the thermostat, I noticed that the bottom bolt was VERY loose... I had done the thermostat without housing about a year ago now, had never leaked coolant before... My best guess is that I just didn't torque it enough and it slowly loosened, but only when cold (just a guess, but would help explain why no drips when car was running on ramps) and in small enough amounts that I did not notice a puddle on the ground.

I had a 96 and have done that job twice, make sure replace the thermostat otherwise it's a do-over several months later because you tried to save $20. Been there etc!! Change the belt, tensioner, water pump and thermostat.

I got the wahler one in 2019, that would explain the really slow leak I have.

My Wahler thermostat starts to leak after 4 years. It's not a big leak (only a cup a month) but I'd swap it asap.

The current plastic thermostat looks a little more beefy, but is still shatty plastic. They're commonly failing at 30-55k miles in the stuck closed position, instant overheat.