Germanwings do make (sparing) use of ACARS, and the aircraft in question was certainly equipped.
Sorry, my imprecise answer. ACARS has several modules, each coming at a different price tag. The basic Ops module only sends automated operational status messages for movement control. The health monitoring system, which is used for maintenance purposes, requires a much broader bandwidth and is costlier by magnitudes. I would assume (but may be wrong) that 4U would use the former, but not the latter, though as it was an ex LH bird it may have full capability.