06 Water pump replacement

[bigrockk]

2006 Corolla CE Auto

Was at the dealership yesterday for an oil change and they told me that my water pump is "seeping". They want about $350.00 to change it.
I haven't noticed and spots in the driveway and the fluid level hasn't really changed over time so maybe they caught this just in time?

My question is how hard is this to do myself, and is there any good tips anyone has to share? Any special tools required?

I have a subscription to Alldata for my truck but not for my Corolla, just never needed it before. Corolla has always been dealer serviced and this is the first time it has needed a repair in a 150,000 KM's

Thanks!

[salesmantony]

Originally Posted by bigrockk

2006 Corolla CE Auto

Was at the dealership yesterday for an oil change and they told me that my water pump is "seeping". They want about $350.00 to change it.
I haven't noticed and spots in the driveway and the fluid level hasn't really changed over time so maybe they caught this just in time?

My question is how hard is this to do myself, and is there any good tips anyone has to share? Any special tools required?

I have a subscription to Alldata for my truck but not for my Corolla, just never needed it before. Corolla has always been dealer serviced and this is the first time it has needed a repair in a 150,000 KM's

Thanks!

I would ask them to show me the "seepage". A water pump replacement is a bit above the average do-it yourself person, but not impossible.

[bigrockk]

I decided to hold off and just keep an eye on things, so far so good, coolant level has not changed and not a single drop on the driveway. Every now and then I look around the pump area for signs of leakage but so far so good. So for now I will just monitor the situation and see what happens.
Thanks for the reply.

[bigrockk]

So thought I would post an update. It's been about 19 months and the coolant hasn't gone down at all, still no signs of leakage and still the original water pump in the car.

When I first started using this dealership they told me the serpentine belt needed changing, I thought it was odd as I had changed it within the last year. Being that this was the third Toyota dealer I had dealt with and the previous two were exceptional I bought the belt and changed it myself. The old one was fine but I thought maybe that was just a fluke. Guess I was wrong, now I avoid this dealer at all cost as the trust is gone. Now I am am back doing my own maintenance but man I hate dealing with used oil and filters, such a pain.

[veedubmechanic]

FYI 9/ 10 toyotas that come in with more than 40k have leaky pumps.

[bigrockk]

Originally Posted by veedubmechanic

FYI 9/ 10 toyotas that come in with more than 40k have leaky pumps.

Strange statement veedubmechanic,

I'm up to 180k with no leak so far, many of my family members and a few friends drive Toyota's and not one has had a water pump problem. I have owned three myself and they have all been the most reliable vehicles I have ever owned. To be honest the only work ever needed was regular maintenance.

[veedubmechanic]

Working on them every day I call water pumps general maint on a Toyota lol.

[bigrockk]

Originally Posted by veedubmechanic

Working on them every day I call water pumps general maint on a Toyota lol.

Odd that Toyota owners are taking there cars to a VW repair shop.

Considering the 2 out of 5 rating for VW given below I figured you would be to busy fixing them to bother with Toyota's.

A quote found online recently:

Nothing changes in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality rankings. Mercedes and Porsche have 4/5 ratings, BMW and Audi get just 3/5 and VW only achieves 2/5. Lexus tops that ranking as well with a 5/5.
The J.D. Power ratings are based on consumer surveys. Initial Quality is measured after 90 days of a new car’s purchase. Vehicle Dependability Ratings are surveys based on the past 12 months of original owners of three-year old cars.

[veedubmechanic]

I am a certified Toyota tech at a Toyota dealer. Used to work vw