Possibly an air lock in the heater matrix. Unfortunately the way to fix this is to drain the coolant completely from engine and refil with the heater on MAX so water can get through it properly, maybe hte last refil it had was with the heater on COLD
I guess its the dials type panel and not the electronic one, perhaps the cable isnt making the correct adjustments
Disconnect the hose on the thermostat - coolant will fall out and make a mess (so do it somewhere where it doesn't matter or use a bucket to catch most of the spillage).
Take off the old 'stat.
Remove all the old gasket carefully (use a gasket stripper chemical or scaper) and clean/dry everything off.
Then fit new 'stat and gasket with a smear of gasket sealant for good measure. Don't over-tighten the thermostat bolts.
Put the hose back on, turn the heater to "MAX" and put the fan on full speed.
Top up the coolant via the header tank. Squeeze the hoses to force out the air.
Then start the engine, squeezing the hoses and with the heater/fan on max. Top up the coolant as the header level goes down.
Once it starts warming up the level will stabilise and you should notice the temp in the car getting warmer. Put the header tank cap back on.
The coolant temperature will warm up really quickly to 90 and the radiator fan will come on around 95.
Let the beast cool down, check the coolant level and top up as necessary.
Couple of thoughts from someone who changed his for the first time last week.....
May as well make sure your antifreeze is concentrated enough; if it's weak, top up with neat.
There are two different types of thermostat housing; make sure you get the right one!
Apparently (I learned this too late...) on a 145 it's easier if you take the battery out to get access to the clips under the 'stat
Make sure you've got a full set of spare hose clips if it hasn't been changed before, as the factory fit clips need to be butchered to get them off.
I dunno, but I doubt that any tool could remove those buggers, and then make them look neat when they are put back on!
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