07 Vantage-23,000 miles- I'm at my 5 year mark to change coolant. I didn't do it last time so I figured I'd do the better Ford (Motorcraft) part just for peace of mind. I had no temperature issues with the car. So I was surprised to see that the gasket had pulled off of the thermostat when I got it apart. I'm glad I did it now!

 

Nice, at least you have peace of mind that it's good for another 5+ years and then some.

 

Nice! Glad you caught it in time. Im about to do mine. Do you have the part number for the ford part? Thanks!

 

It's Motorcraft RT1163 Thermostat. I will say, the spring on the Motorcraft part is noticeably stiffer. I could push and turn the Vantage part by hand to get it out of the housing. For the Motorcraft part I had to use a clamp to hold it down while I used a screwdriver to turn the tabs.

 

I had to replace the thermostat on our 2007 V8V 5 years ago when we purchased it with 28,000 miles. It was running cold and the rubber was split like yours. At least it was all still there so none broke off and got stuck In a cooling passage.
it now has about 43,000 miles and is due for a coolant change again.

 

On the Motorcraft part, the gasket is molded all the way around the metal flange. Presumably it will do a better job of holding together.

 

i found the same (broken stat) when i did coolant flush