Dear all,

Just thought I share the fact that 15 months after having a cam belt service done at a main Skoda dealers (I believe the first one in the car's life at about 6 years/35,000 miles and at which the main dealer advised not to bother replacing the water pump), my car broke down with a failed water pump (symptoms were of course erratic temperature gauge followed by the coolant water overheating). Not only did this result in a most inconvenient tow home it has also cost £££ to redo the cam belt service. I'm just sweating on there being no lasting damage to the head gasket. So just a cautionary tale really that it is worth replacing the water pump as a matter of course at the cam belt service.

On a more annoyed note, I'm disgusted at this part failing at such low mileage (38,000 miles). My previous car (cheapo Hyundai) was going strong on its original water pump at 12 years/100,000 miles. On my Furby, both front wheel bearings have been replaced too, as have the starter motor and heater matrix plus the ARB and usual other suspension bits and pieces. I start to wonder if VAG cars are made out of paper mache. I certainly will never buy another.

I've just written an article in the latest Skoda Owners' Club magazine urging Skoda owners to replace the pump while changing the cam belt.

There's virtually no extra labour cost and the pumps aren't that dear anyway, less than £40.

May have been one of the early pumps with no reinforcement to the plastic impeller. Think they uprated the pumps in 2003/4 My advice would be to always change water pump at cambelt service.

Dear all,

Just thought I share the fact that 15 months after having a cam belt service done at a main Skoda dealers (I believe the first one in the car's life at about 6 years/35,000 miles and at which the main dealer advised not to bother replacing the water pump), my car broke down with a failed water pump (symptoms were of course erratic temperature gauge followed by the coolant water overheating). Not only did this result in a most inconvenient tow home it has also cost £££ to redo the cam belt service. I'm just sweating on there being no lasting damage to the head gasket. So just a cautionary tale really that it is worth replacing the water pump as a matter of course at the cam belt service.

On a more annoyed note, I'm disgusted at this part failing at such low mileage (38,000 miles). My previous car (cheapo Hyundai) was going strong on its original water pump at 12 years/100,000 miles. On my Furby, both front wheel bearings have been replaced too, as have the starter motor and heater matrix plus the ARB and usual other suspension bits and pieces. I start to wonder if VAG cars are made out of paper mache. I certainly will never buy another.

I seem to have made a good choice and got mine changed with the belt kit and additional roller at 4.5 years and maybe about 35,000 miles (2002 52 Polo 1.4 16V BBY) - the waterpump looked/felt as good as new (but for how much longer), there is a small roller - fiited to an arm, that I was told can also cause you problems - but it did not get suppied with the VAG belt kit - so my indie supplied one and included that as well. My VAG sourced exchange waterpump had a metal impellar unlike the hard plastic one that was fitted to the original one.

Your starter motor needing replaced worries me a bit as it (and any others I've heard) sounds like its not as smart an installation as it could have been.

I'd lay the blame for most of these engine related problems on VW being inept and most of all the other Fabia/Polo/Ibiza platform under carriage problems at Skoda's door although it did this while under VW control. In this case, the first for Skoda, they eased up the price of their small car then VAG just rebadged it and whacked on a lot more money - all of this while the original "basics" were not up to modern standards with respect to quality, durability and reliability - a really good way for VAG to lose customers - but where else can we go, they have the market sewn up!

Remember if you do really want to change marques, you will need to leave VAG and not just Skoda as jumping into the VW or Seat camp will not improve your lot at all!

Edited 22 May, 200917 yr by rum4mo

Just for interest, my old water pump had a black plastic impeller, the plastic had broken at the drive shaft so when the outside cog turned, the impeller didn't. Not sure what I'd buy next but given a choice probably a Japanese marque.