In relation to my post yesterday about repair and replacement, a friend consulted me about the suggestion of a mechanic to him to have the water pump of his vehicle replaced—when in fact he brought the vehicle in just for a timing belt replacement.
He was a little confused about the suggestion, given the fact that his vehicle’s water pump was in good shape and there was no problem at all in the cooling system of his car.
Now what’s the best thing to do?
The fact is, the suggestion of the mechanic is valid. Why? Well, replacing a water pump is a tasking work, and it involves the removal of different parts. You also have to take the timing belt off—this process involves almost 90% of the entire procedure.
This is the reason a water pump replacement is advised when taking the timing belt off. It’s so much of a hassle to repeat the complicated procedure just to replace the water pump a few weeks after replacing the timing belt. By replacing the pump and the belt together, you save on labor expenses and effort—much like hitting two birds with one stone.
The final decision here still lies on the vehicle owner, so I told my friend about the possibilities. One way to decide would be to determine how long the pump had been in the vehicle. Most pumps on average have the same replacement interval as the belt. If at all, they should be replaced before they reach 100,000 miles. Sure, I’ve read of pumps that last as long as 170,000 miles, but those are more of the exception rather than the rule.
Well, in the end, it’s a personal choice. My friend’s pump had actually exceeded the 100,000-mile mark. His pump had 115,000 miles on it. So, replacement was indeed a good option.
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