'03 Boxster - Water Pump Failure at 173,000

[Bill_SoCal]

Well...my daily driver was taken off the freeway on the back of a flatbed yesterday. This is only the second time since I drove the vehicle off the lot brand new in December of '02 that I've been left stranded.

I was heading up the I-15N here in SoCal doing about 90 on an incline that leads up to Temecula. I was in the face lane when I heard something sound like it hit the bottom of the vehicle really hard. Within a few moments the temp gauge started to rise and I knew I either lost the water pump or my drive belt had broken. I shut the vehicle down when I was in the #3 lane and coasted to the emergency lane. No water under the vehicle. I called the ever reliable AAA and waited patiently as other Porsche owners passed and stared off to where I was standing. Embarrassing...but not as embarrassing as riding in the cab of the tow truck with my Boxster sitting on the back.

When I got home I immediately pushed both seats forward and pulled the engine shroud. Yep. My water pump pulley was sitting against the lower block and my drivebelt was sitting off to the right. It was a clean shear.

While I have a full Snap-On roll-away and all the capability to handle the DIY, I will have the vehicle towed to my local dealer in Riverside. I don't have a way to capture and recycle 5 gallons of coolant. Besides that, I think I've got my money's worth out of this water pump and the cost of the repair is certainly not playing the odds of diminishing returns.

This is only the second engine related failure/component in 173,000 miles. The first was an AOS at 146,000. Other than that, oil, oil filter, and air filter every 15K. Drive belt every 60K.

:help: Anyone have any idea what I should expect to pay for a repair like this? I imagine I will have the thermostat and hoses replaced too.

I'm still on the original clutch...that is my next planned repair.

Best car I've ever owned. Love it. It still looks and drives like it did when I bought it. I can't find a reason to buy a new one!

Bill :beer:

[N41EF]

I paid about $230 for an OEM waterpump from Sunset. Stock thermostat is about $40, the 160 degree LN thermostat is about $170. Coolant is about $30 per gallon and you'll need two. Labor? I did mine in four hours including an oil/filter change and flushing the brakes.

[jotoole]

I would say the dealership will charge $1,000. 00+.

2 years ago I was charged $800.00 by an indie, a shop I've patronized for several years. They always charged a fair price, but I feel they overcharged on this one.

But they may have encountered something I'm not aware of, and they warrant parts & labor 2 years/25,000 miles.

I still have them service my cars, believe them to be honest and they've always got the problem fixed first time, no returns.

Jim

[infocusf8]

I recently paid an indie shop $830 to replace my wp with an OEM, the dealer wanted $1,200.