what is this? what happened!??
 

i had my car idling for about 15min and all of the sudden it sounded like, and looked like a steam engine coming out from under the hood! on the driveway underneath the vehicle it was soaked in tons of coolant! this part is where is was most saturated at with coolant. thought it was a thermostat. am i wrong? obviously i need a new part! please help!!!

That's not the thermostat that is a coolant flange that is there to pull some heat away from the DISA (I'm guessing). Number 12 on this diagram.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...69&hg=11&fg=40

Are you sure the coolant is coming from that, there are two plastic connectors to the left of that on the engine that are known for breaking. Is that a picture you just took? Any reason why the dipstick isn't seated?

i just took those pics a few min ago.. the dipstick was fine at the time.. i'll check the connectors real quick. its just that flange was covered in coolant more than any parts around it. the hoses connecting into it are still connected and no cracks. brb on the connectors.

this should help,
http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16068
be sure not to run your car in the meantime, and make sure nothing warped

ordered both of those plastic pieces. will do a better look-see in the morning. thanks for your info. i really appreciate it!

Its pretty common for the upper radiator neck to break on its own as well, check everything!

Dave