Hi all

I'm seeking a bit of info to "educate" my local dealer. I've just booked in for a cambelt change and requested the water pump be changed too. Having followed valuable advice from Briskoda I checked the water pump would have the metal impeller rather than the potentially problematic plastic one. I was surprised to be greeted with the response that they only come as plastic.

Could someone please provide me with a part number for the water pump with the metal impeller... if only to provide a smug moment! )

I don't know the part number, but my water pump was bought from TPS along with the cambelt kit, they were all genuine VAG parts (as you would expect from TPS) and were for the PD140 BKD engine. The water pump had a metal impeller as I fitted it myself!

Circoli a french brand make metal impeller pumps for all makes including vw, go into your local euro car parts and ask for a look at one.

Send Eurocarparts a pm on here,to ask which one I have before, they respond quickly http://www.briskoda.net/forums/user/76190-eurocarparts/ .Usually Patrick in Wembley http://www.eurocarparts.com/water-pump-gasket

From the dealer they do only come in plastic, third party ones are metal

As above check out europarts

Agree all OEM pumps are plastic and non genuine are available in metal too.

As my cambelt & pump will be due a change shortly, and me not knowing much about these things, is there a significant advantage in having a metal one over a plastic one?

Would the main dealers fit parts supplied by the customer? I'm not worried about warranty as my car is now 5 years old.

Agree all OEM pumps are plastic and non genuine are available in metal too.

Sorry, I have to disagree. I got mine from TPS, it was a genuine VAG part and had a metal impeller.

Bit of contention from what i've read, but will my car have a plastic impellered pump?? I'm assuming yes, but read a few bits on here that gave the impression that it might not be.

Confused!! lol

I fit genuine water pumps every day and have never seen a metal one from Skoda on any of the four cylinder engines

Would always go for a genuine plastic one over a non genuine metal one any day of the week.

Bit of contention from what i've read, but will my car have a plastic impellered pump?? I'm assuming yes, but read a few bits on here that gave the impression that it might not be.

Confused!! lol

If your talking about the 1.8 TSi then that's a whole different kettle of fish with quite a different set up.

Would always go for a genuine plastic one over a non genuine metal one any day of the week.

Agreed.

I think a lot of the phobia of plastic impellers comes from the ones that were fitted in the late 90s that did have a tendency to prematurely fail.

Since about 2000, they revised the part to be made of a much better material.

Tech1e

How does that explain that the genuine VAG one I got from TPS for the BKD engine was metal? I wish I still had the box for it now!

It doesn't, they only list one number on ETKA and we have regular water pumps on stock order and all have been plastic.

If your talking about the 1.8 TSi then that's a whole different kettle of fish with quite a different set up.

Ooh, interesting?? What do you mean?

Are you referring to the 1.8 being a chain driven cam so the pump's (I believe) on the other side of the engine and turned by...magic, or does it have some sort of special properties that make it indestructible?!

Yes the pump is a very different set up and run by a small belt from a shaft running along the front of the engine.

Is it as reliable/unreliable as the normal setup or is it better or worse as it's bound to be a different design?

Is it as reliable/unreliable as the normal setup or is it better or worse as it's bound to be a different design?

I've yet to change one, says something I guess

In some ways you're better having plastic, as if it fails then it might spin lose on the spindle rather than locking up the water pump and causing it to stop the cambelt (Strip teeth etc).

I'd just go with a new OEM water pump and coolant at every cambelt change.

This question about metal impeller came about when some genuine plastic versions were found to be weak and there were examples of premature failure.

That was about a decade ago now and since then the genuine plastic versions were improved. Can't say I've heard of a genuine VAG water pump breaking since then?

So I'd echo the advice to obtain a genuine plastic impeller version.

I've yet to change one, says something I guess

Ooh, well that's hopeful. Cheers dude!

Ooh, well that's hopeful. Cheers dude!

Your welcome

There is a metal impeller pump but it has never been approved for the UK market.

Only the older pumps with a Durethan impeller, suffered from a risk of the impeller cracking or slipping on the shaft. The impeller became brittle. In the NA market, VW first introduced a 90k miles service life for these parts and just before the Durethan parts were superceded, this dropped again to 60k miles. This gives you an idea why they had such a poor reputation. Some VW dealers over there were fitting Hepu, rather than OEM.

Impellers made from PolyPhenelineSulfide (PPS) were introduced in 2000 and have a very low failure rate. PPS is a high perfermance, temperature stable, semi-crystalline polymer reinforced composite.

I wouldn't fit a metal impeller pump. If you really feel the need, then get a good quality one from Hepu or QH.

And that is far more info than I ever knew...lol

And that is far more info than I ever knew...lol

... or wanted to know

If folks do get there hands on and fit a VW metal impeller pump, then they will have less warranty than with an aftermarket product.

The aftermarket product is designed/approved for a Skoda and will have a parts warranty.

Fitting a VW part to a vehicle for which the part is not designed/approved will have no parts warranty