All, I’ve seen some posts on this previously and just wanted to get some thoughts as a good decade has passed since some of the previous posts were made. I’ve got a recurring code, P1296, throwing an EML. I’ve replaced the CTS twice, one with an off brand crap one which did not resolve and secondly with a genuine. Still no fix. The car basically doesn’t get up to 90. When driving, if you’re doing short journeys or sitting in traffic it might creep up close to 90 or even sit at 90 at the lights. Never goes past 90, never overheats. The moment you start driving, the temp drops again and will sit around 70. During my commute which is mostly motorway, I can do a full 45 minutes worth of driving and the car won’t get beyond 60. Due to the horrific pinch clips on the vacuum lines teamed with me being fairly lazy, I’ve asked the VW specialist I use to replace the stat along with some other suspension work next week. They did clear this EML for me a couple of weeks ago, took it for a drive and said the stat seemed to be opening when it should, fans were coming on when they should etc. They don’t think a stat would throw this error but we’ve agreed to replace it and continue investigating if issue still persists. In my opinion, I think the stat is opening too early on motorway drives. After a long drive where the car should be up to temp, put the heater on 25 and it will be luke warm. I’m no expert, would love to know other people’s thoughts. Cheers!