the thermostat has no relation to the fans whatsoever. what it does is allow the engine to maintain a MINIMUM temperature.

when the engine is cold it is shiu, this prevents the water flow from reaching the radiator, so it teels the water in the engine getting nice and toasty warm,, when it reaches temperature it opens up allowing the water to flow round the radiator. so it regulates the temperature to a set MINIMUM (cold engines are bad, mkay )

the reason people removed them is if they are having a colling problem it may bodge the problem and make it appear to be cured.

the fan on your car is purely machanical and relies on nothing otehr than itself. the bit that bolts onto the crank is a viscous unit. this contains a liquid that will lock when it gets hot. so the fan effectively turns itself off/on.

it's really very simple and once ytou get your head around it, very easy to work with.

so, what problems are you having with the car? let us try and work out what may be at fault...