[Spunkymonkey]

well looks like you answered you own question lol. Get your fans fixed!!

Once you've done that just keep an eye on the temp. If you find the tempature is either too cold all the time, or not regular, could also be thermostat.

but get the fans fixed first!

In terms of the soot, don't worry about that. That is normal. Just means your car is running a little rich. Plus also it depends on what petrol you use sometimes. Sometimes you will find you get a bit more soot compared to other petrols.

I find I get a bit more if I use Optimax as opposed to Ultimate. Ultimate just burns a bit cleaner.