Water Pump question ( Wayne ?)

[Showtime]

I have to change the water pump on my boxster S , not sure whether to go for a recommended pattern part or swallow the cost of a genuine one. Also does the genuine come with a metal gasket, (crush type) and if so, does it need any sealant or just fit like a motorcycle head gasket.

Thanks guys

Steve

[EBS_Don]

Neither comes with a gasket but the one you would use is metal. No sealant, just make sure any of the old gasket coating is removed.

[s_wilwerding]

I would recommend the "real" one - you can read about folks on the Internet who have bought the knock-offs and within a few months were installing another one.

[mikefocke]

I'm about to do this and want the genuine article. I want plastic as a bearing failure with metal impellers guarantees an engine goes too.

[randy_k]

I'm watching the outcome of this thread. As it's one of the things on my to do list. Genuine or after market??? That is the question?

[Wayne 962]

First off, for future reference, here is my article on replacing the water pump in the Boxster: Pelican Technical Article: Boxster Water Pump & Boxster Thermostat Replacement - 986 / 987

Our catalog lists two water pumps, one from LASO, and one Genuine one from Porsche. Both are of excellent quality. There are some super cheapo water pumps available out there (like on eBay) that are $100 or so. I would avoid those, as I have heard of engine failures due to the crappy nature of those parts. For that matter, I think almost everything on eBay is of questionable quality, but that's a whole different story.

To answer your question specifically, I would probably feel comfortable installing either one of these on any of my two Boxsters (or two 996s). They both are rated very well - LASO is a Pelican-rated four-star brand, and of course Genuine is a five-star brand. The Genuine one is about $130 or so more than the LASO. If your looking for complete piece of mind, then I would go with the Genuine one.

Here's the link to the pumps in our catalog: http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/986M/POR_986M_WATpmp_pg1.htm#item1

-Wayne

[mikefocke]

"LASO is a Pelican-rated four-star brand, and of course Genuine is a five-star brand."

Please tell us about the rating system. What is it based on? What is the statistical difference between being 4 or being a 5 star product? Without that understanding I can't tell if it justifies the 48% price difference.

And is there any way of telling who made the Genuine brand water pump?

[onlineformals]

I had a water pump issue last April.

My shop replaced it with the Lasco Brand. The pump leaked through the weep hole and it had to be replaced 3 times.

The shop finally put on a genuine Porsche pump and the issue has been resolved.

Spend the extra$ for piece of mind.

Just my thoughts.

[Showtime]

Great link Wayne, The clear pictures are invaluable for the 'unseen problems', I didn't know about the double gasket so thats a big help. Rest assured that I'll print the article and pics while doing the install and Thanks for the valued input guys,

On most other cars I have owned, I've always been OK with an aftermarket part but given the complex nature and high running temperatures of the Porker I'm going to bite the bullet and install a genuine one.

will post some pics of the changeover for future reference (will post pics of the failed one if anyone is interested) Its leaking real bad from the pulley

[randy_k]

Originally Posted by Showtime

Great link Wayne, The clear pictures are invaluable for the 'unseen problems', I didn't know about the double gasket so thats a big help. Rest assured that I'll print the article and pics while doing the install and Thanks for the valued input guys,

On most other cars I have owned, I've always been OK with an aftermarket part but given the complex nature and high running temperatures of the Porker I'm going to bite the bullet and install a genuine one.

will post some pics of the changeover for future reference (will post pics of the failed one if anyone is interested) Its leaking real bad from the pulley

While you're in there. You may wanna think about replacing the thermostat with the 160 degree one, by LN Engineering. Just a thought. I'm going to when I change my water pump.
Randy

[harryrcb]

Originally Posted by randy_k

while you're in there. You may wanna think about replacing the thermostat with the 160 degree one, by ln engineering. Just a thought. I'm going to when i change my water pump.
Randy

+1

[Wayne 962]

Originally Posted by mikefocke

"LASO is a Pelican-rated four-star brand, and of course Genuine is a five-star brand."

Please tell us about the rating system. What is it based on? What is the statistical difference between being 4 or being a 5 star product? Without that understanding I can't tell if it justifies the 48% price difference.

And is there any way of telling who made the Genuine brand water pump?

The rating system is based upon the recommendations of both me and my supplier, based upon the number / percentage of returns, the overall look of quality of the part, and the overall history of parts associated with the brand. There are no statistical calculations performed in order to arrive at these ratings, they are based upon years of experience and knowledge of the parts that these suppliers sell. Unfortunately, difficulty sometimes arises when one supplier has a very well made part and a very crappy part, all under the same brand name. That makes life difficult, but we rely on people to write reviews in order to distinguish issues like these.

There is almost no way at all to tell who is the manufacturer of the Genuine brand water pump. Porsche, like the rest of the world, has been subbing a lot of their parts manufacturing to Asia, so I would not be surprised if they are made there, and then shipped to Germany for placement in a "MADE IN GERMANY" box. I've seen that quite a bit lately. The good news is though - just because it's made in Asia, doesn't necessarily mean it's poor quality. Just like in the rest of the world, you can pay a higher price for higher quality, and it *is* indeed possible to get good quality products manufactured in Asia - you just need to pay more to have it done. Companies like Apple do it all the time.

-Wayne

[Wayne 962]

Originally Posted by onlineformals

I had a water pump issue last April.

My shop replaced it with the Lasco Brand. The pump leaked through the weep hole and it had to be replaced 3 times.

The shop finally put on a genuine Porsche pump and the issue has been resolved.

Spend the extra$ for piece of mind.

Just my thoughts.

Yes, I remember your posts here. Although the problem was indeed fixed by the Genuine pump, I still believe that there may be other issues which may have caused that problem. We have not seen a high return rate on those pumps, so it's odd that your car would have a problem with three of them. Still odd to me...

-Wayne