VW Golf Thermostat Replacement Without Removing Alternator

The thermostat had failed in my Mk4 Golf TDI so I needed to replace it. A lot of the guides online show that you need to remove the alternator to get sufficient access but when I looked in the engine bay on my car (PD130 diesel) it seemed to have enough space to remove the thermostat housing without doing so.

VW Golf Thermostat Replacement With Alternator in place

I've done a video for YouTube showing the steps but it was quite easy to change the thermostat with the alternator still in place. I just needed to move the vacuum tank out of the way to give enough access.