[Tim Cuculic]

My water pump just went at 86,000 miles. Same situation as everyone else, driving along fine, then I got the yellow temp symbol, then it went away for a couple seconds, then it came back. Total loss of power, so I had to pull over.

Luckily I was only a couple miles from my dealership ( BMW of Bloomfield ) so I was able to limp the car there. I would drive the car for a couple blocks, then pull over and turn it off to rest for a couple minutes, then repeat.

Total cost was $1493.68
Here is the breakdown:

1 HOUR VEHICLE DIAGNOSTIC $145.00
LABOR FOR COOLANT PUMP REPLACEMENT $550.00
COOLANT PUMP $521.26
ASA-BOLT: $4.10
COOLANT: $24.98
THERMOSTAT: $135.80
ALUMINIUM SCREW SET: $14.82
SALES TAX: $97.72
TOTAL: $1493.68


They also told me that my oil filter housing gasket was leaking, and that I needed to replace my thrust arm bushings. I understand that the water pump and oil filter housing usually fail at the same time. I do regret not upgrading my warranty to 100,000 miles, but I thought the car would hold together until at least that many miles.

[ETexas335]

Mine went at 214K... was a PITA but I replaced the pump & thermo in my garage. Got the parts from Tischer for $475 shipped. I also did the oil filter housing gasket while I had stuff removed. Removing the fan helped a lot, since the hoses on the thermo were really stuck. Of course now that I've done it once, I could do it in a third of the time if I ever do it again. I can't believe stealerships charge $1500...

[Jklad]

Holy crap that's expensive. I'm so glad I DIY even thought it took me a long time. They should have rolled up the diagnostic fee to apply it towards the repair for you.

[stashtrey]

Mine went at 80k and change. Lame. Knew it was coming. $1100 for t stat, hoses, pump and rush service. That hurts but at least it is done. Now on to the walbro online Otto prolong my fuel pump.

[mrmax1984]

Are there any tell-tale signs that a pump is about to go, or is it just a sudden deal? Sounds like the latter, with folks describing the yellow light -> red light -> limp mode sequence. I may just do this as a preventative measure, since I'm nearing on 70k miles on the original pump.

[07tundra]

Originally Posted by mrmax1984

Are there any tell-tale signs that a pump is about to go, or is it just a sudden deal? Sounds like the latter, with folks describing the yellow light -> red light -> limp mode sequence. I may just do this as a preventative measure, since I'm nearing on 70k miles on the original pump.

NOPE mine went at 40k

[JStang]

Mine went just shy of 74k miles. I noticed my fan running very loud before I pulled it out of the garage and knew exactly what was about to happen. I wasn't sure how far I would get but it was only a couple of miles.

I actually signed up for AAA a few months prior because I knew it was only a matter of time.

[unjukeable]

what is the amount of hours the dealer should charge for this? I brought mine in with a 3rd party warranty(Maxcare). I also called maxcare and it said they were asking for an alignment also which didnt make sense to me because I didnt ask for one...

[CptJoe732]

Originally Posted by mrmax1984

Are there any tell-tale signs that a pump is about to go, or is it just a sudden deal? Sounds like the latter, with folks describing the yellow light -> red light -> limp mode sequence. I may just do this as a preventative measure, since I'm nearing on 70k miles on the original pump.

Your car will usually just throw a yellow high temp light than a red one. I suggest you pull over immediately and turn your car off then get towed. Your fans will also be running full blast to compensate. Mine went at 74k and it was a whore to change on ramps but it beats spending on labor.

[CptJoe732]

Originally Posted by Palestine

Question to these replaced the pump at ~60k or so. After reaching ~120k do you expect the pump to fail again or is there a new design?

I heard from a shop that these pumps that are cheaper online than the dealership are a previous model. There selling off to make room for new ones so he suggested buying everything from the dealer which I did. I bit the 800$ bullet and did it myself but I'm sure my pump will out last some of these other eBay pumps.

[DJtoad]

Originally Posted by CptJoe732

I heard from a shop that these pumps that are cheaper online than the dealership are a previous model. There selling off to make room for new ones so he suggested buying everything from the dealer which I did. I bit the 800$ bullet and did it myself but I'm sure my pump will out last some of these other eBay pumps.

That may have been true at one time, but most places now sell the newer pump which is stamped with Continental. The older pump was stamped with Siemens VDO. Continental acquired Siemens VDO back in 2007.

[techwhiz]

Originally Posted by CptJoe732

Your car will usually just throw a yellow high temp light than a red one. I suggest you pull over immediately and turn your car off then get towed. Your fans will also be running full blast to compensate. Mine went at 74k and it was a whore to change on ramps but it beats spending on labor.

Mine went at almost exactly the same mileage.
My car is CPO, $50.

[CptJoe732]

Originally Posted by techwhiz

Mine went at almost exactly the same mileage.
My car is CPO, $50.

But you'll never know what coolant tastes like...

[techwhiz]

Originally Posted by CptJoe732

But you'll never know what coolant tastes like...

What ever happened to the good old days (2004 and before) when I could change a water pump in an hour and have time for a beer?

I could change out the water pump on an e36 including pulling the radiator in under an hour start to finish....

[surrey 335i]

My water pump recently developed a small crack and was losing a small amount of coolant each trip. Just coming upto 190,000 miles on original water pump N54 335i.

Luckily I got a 2nd hand pump from a low mileage engine so it was not an expensive repair, less than £150 in total.

Originally Posted by CptJoe732

But you'll never know what coolant tastes like...

[blaster3500]

Mine just went at 107k my heat went out and then a couple miles later the lights came on. Luckily I was a mile from home and let it cool and went home. Going to DIY it as soon as my pump and tstat come in.

[BQTuning]

Originally Posted by surrey 335i

My water pump recently developed a small crack and was losing a small amount of coolant each trip. Just coming upto 190,000 miles on original water pump N54 335i.

Luckily I got a 2nd hand pump from a low mileage engine so it was not an expensive repair, less than £150 in total.

Did you do a lot of highway mileage and run you A/C very little ?

[gangzoom]

My pump went a months ago, there was a drop in coolant levels about 1 months before.

[BAL278]

Mine went out on Saturday.. 112k miles, cannot say I am surprised...

[JStang]

Originally Posted by BAL278

Mine went out on Saturday.. 112k miles, cannot say I am surprised...

You're lucky that it lasted that long!

[dlbrooks18]

Originally Posted by M3 Eater

did you try resetting the ECU before changing the water pump.

I had mine quit on me a few times when my battery was low.

Car over heated and wouldn't move at all.

took some trial and error but with a BT cable, i got it running again.

My pump just went out on Sunday, but will try this first! How long did it last after you reset the ECU? Thanks! If I have to order new parts, what are the correct part numbers (08 335i) for the electric pump, bolts, and tstat? Thanks!