The biggest pain is the fact that they decided there was no need at all to put a draincock anywhere in the cooling system. Is it really that hard? My wife's old '90 Camry V6 had this awesome draincock with a tube leading down, kinda like a Fumimoto for the cooling system. Changing the coolant tended to be an even easier job than doing an oil change. Then again, that motor was designed with the mechanic in mind. Everything that seemed impossible was neatly placed and sized if you followed the set procedure.
I know, I know, lifetime coolant in the resevoir, but come on, when you do have to drain it, it would be nice not to get a coolant bath. Be sure to close your eyes and shut your mouth tight when you pull off the hose and again when you pop out the TStat.
DBW, the failing "operational" must have come on with the A2. My parents first 79 Rabbit Diesel died due to a TStat that failed closed. Overheated, warped the head, and my dad cracked the block trying to torque the head bolts in the cold. That experience has always made me very gunshy of the VW thermostat.