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To everyone who chimed in, thank you.
I wanted to close the loop here in the hopes that this can help someone out in the future. I got my car back from the body/windshield shop after some minor repairs to clean up the front bumper and install a new windshield. While the car was in the shop, I purchased a coolant vacuum filling kit, new coolant, and a new temperature sensor. I installed the new temperature sensor with no positive effect. I was able to get into the secret menu and see that my car was cooling very slowly and even once it had a bit of heat, as soon as I started cruising or coasting, the temperatures were dropping. So that wasn't the problem. I then proceeded to remove the thermostat. To avoid any install issues, I also removed the water pump entirely so that I could clearly see whether the thermostat was properly seated and sealing. While I had the thermostat out, I also tested it by throwing it into some boiling water. That test confirmed the thermostat was indeed working. I installed it carefully, torqued everything down to the proper specs (EGR cooler, thermostat housing, water pump) and then proceeded to refill the coolant. I was able to get a really good vacuum on the system and let it sit for 5 minutes to confirm there were no leaks. I filled up with about 1.75 gallons of coolant and then reinstalled everything. I took the car for a test drive a the problem was fixed! I don't know whether it was the thermostat or an air bubble but it was definitely one of those two things. The car now heats up perfectly. I guess what they say about "third time's a charm" is based on at least some truth...
After all the work I did (new belts, washed in intake manifold, oil change, new water pump and idler pulley, coolant flange, oil cooler + oil thermostat, new coolant thermostat, cleaned out leaves from the cabin blower, new windshield, resprayed front bumper, ceramic coating), the car drives incredibly well. Sitting at 82k miles and it feels better than when I bought it was 22k miles.
Cheers
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