Vauxhall Corsa Thermostat

[Sab]

I wanted to know how much labour would be to change the thermostat on a Corsa (Reg). A mechanic has said the thermostat would cost around �10 but the labour will be around �50. The belt and other bits need moving - a lot of work is involved. I wanted to know if this is right. The indicator goes into red and the water is boiling but the engine is cool. The fan had not been kicking in even when it went over 100. He says that there could be a blockage. Are there any websites where we can check what the cause of such faults can be. The manual that came with the car does not have anything. Just states to go to the dealer. Thanks.

[rojam]

If the radiator is cold, it will be the thermostat which has stuck and will need replacing, pretty common on Corsa's.
If the rad is hot then the stat is working fine, and it could be the fan switch that needs replacing.

[woodchopper]

�50 is reasonable - but if the cam belt is nearly due a change ( every 40k ) get it done at the same time and if it is done nearly 80k get the timing belt tensioner changed at the same time - this will add to the cost but will save you money if the belt breaks or the bearing fails on the tensioner. the cooling fan should kick in at around 98 degrees - not expensive to replace the sender unit for the fan which is fitted to the side of the radiator.
Hope this helps.