two failed "lifetime" water pumps from Advance Auto Parts

[D60]

The next problem becomes all the big stores are moving everything to house brands because the margins are greater. O'Reilly offers Masterpro and Precision, but I'm not convinced the Precision is an ounce better although obviously each application can vary.

Then again I just posted where a Murray idler pulley was Litens, with a commensurate price to match ($74 retail, $60 commercial, ~$32 on RA).

 

[Reiver]

It all depends upon how much time it takes to install. A mechanical fuel pump on a Ford straight six with a carburetor was probably a 15 mm install. But most modern furl pumps are not like that.

My mechanic charged me for 3 hours to drop the tank. I've replaced my own in the past on an S-10 where I just unbolted the bed and had help lifting it off. Once you get to the pump it's quick.

 

[Auto tech]

Oem parts are normally the best bet. Aftermarket parts are horrible right now

 

[Chris Meutsch]

We have had EXCELLENT results using GMB Water Pumps. They seem to be very good quality and priced fairly. I honestly can't remember a warranty issue in at least the last five years.

On my kids 2002 Sentra pile, I put one of these on. It still works after 2 years. Luckily he got a different car (2015 Forester from Grandma).

The installation of aftermarket cooling system part is strictly verboten. JMHO

Same as above, I put a Denso rad on it also, no idea what was OEM but I certainly was not going to put anything else on.

 

[pacstud]

Buy once cry once. OEM only.

As noted, not always an option.

 

[Nukeman7]

It has been replaced, yet again, but not with junk from AAP. Done with them. We'll see if O'Reilly's "lifetime" Murray brand water pumps are any better. (hahaha...probably not).

The AAP water pumps are pure garbage as you unfortunately found out. FWIW, I installed a Murray water pump from O'Reillys on my Jeep in 2021 and it appears to be a high quality part. It fit and performs like OEM for the past 5 years and ~50,000 miles. I don't anticipate having to redeem the lifetime warranty, but nice to know it is there.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I just put a lifetime fuel pump in my Sierra and I might live to regret it. But I didn't see a GM OE pump available, so I got the Delphi, which has been a long time GM supplier.

Getting decent parts for a 22 year old truck is getting harder all the time.

Oh yes. A new corporate mind set started a few years back..... something like : They do not want those DIYs fixing anything. They want them forced to buy new. For the longest time , The late great Big Three had massive corporate support for oem parts, expert regional technicians / mechanics who travelled from dealerships to dealerships when needed. Employed to assist working out tricky or warranty issues. Major auto racing support. Even helping plain folks, their loyal customers in making their vehicles last as long as possible. They at a time used to run advertisements bragging about how many of their older vehicles are still on the roads.... That is no longer the case or even their interests. Totally inept , out of their league managers over the years along with very strong competition from every corner of the globe has them all struggling and desperate to keep up sales numbers. The domestic auto industry as many of us grew up knowing is dead and gone.

I recall a story some time back around 2020 that Ford had decided they will no longer support the oem part supplies for vehicles older than ten years. Now it will likely take a good while for many of those parts to become exhausted (yet it is already getting harder to find certain cheaper oem parts) but it is clear they do not want us keeping vehicles a long time anymore. They want to sell as much new (unrepairable by DIYs) as they possibly can.

 

[zzyzzx]

I actually run an Advance Auto Parts water pump on my Alero. With the V6 engine it might be the easiest water pump to change out on any car. Yes, I had to use the warranty. Yes I had a 10 year old receipt. If the pump goes again I'll have it back working again quickly.

 

[zzyzzx]

Getting decent parts for a 22 year old truck is getting harder all the time.

The impression I get from a LOT of the parts for my 1999 Oldsmobile is that they are mostly reboxed white box parts.

 

[JavierH19]

As Trav put it cheap parts aren't worth it even if they're lifetime warranty unless they're not important and take no time to change but that's very few things.

After being there before I now rather spend more on better parts and not have to bother with it again especially if bothering with it again happens after paying a tow truck 99% of the time and having my day ruined from being stranded. No gracias.

 

[VWRand]

Murrays was a Detroit area auto parts chain that was founded in 1975. O'Reilly bought them out nearly 17 years ago and rebranded them all as O'Reilly's. Wonder if that connection played a role with deciding to reusing the name on a line of parts?

 

[GON]

Oh yes. A new corporate mind set started a few years back..... something like : They do not want those DIYs fixing anything. They want them forced to buy new. For the longest time , The late great Big Three had massive corporate support for oem parts, expert regional technicians / mechanics who travelled from dealerships to dealerships when needed. Employed to assist working out tricky or warranty issues. Major auto racing support. Even helping plain folks, their loyal customers in making their vehicles last as long as possible. They at a time used to run advertisements bragging about how many of their older vehicles are still on the roads.... That is no longer the case or even their interests. Totally inept , out of their league managers over the years along with very strong competition from every corner of the globe has them all struggling and desperate to keep up sales numbers. The domestic auto industry as many of us grew up knowing is dead and gone.

I recall a story some time back around 2020 that Ford had decided they will no longer support the oem part supplies for vehicles older than ten years. Now it will likely take a good while for many of those parts to become exhausted (yet it is already getting harder to find certain cheaper oem parts) but it is clear they do not want us keeping vehicles a long time anymore. They want to sell as much new (unrepairable by DIYs) as they possibly can.

Good post- definitely understand the Ford approach, and it gets even worse as Ford "updates" it parts so often, making finding old stock parts even more challenging.

I am likely going to buy new OEM LED 2019 F350 headlights and put them in storage. The lights are proprietary (yes aware of Morimoto), and there really is no solution/ substitution. I have gone as far as considering updating the 2019 F350 to 2020-2022 Ford OEM LED headlights, as a mitigation method.

On the other side of the fence, my 2005 Lexus GX470 has ample OEM part support today, in the past few years I purchased new OEM headlights, new OEM seatcovers, and dozens of OEM mechanical parts.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

House brand parts suck because you never know where they get it from, though some "name brand" aftermarket parts aren't any better

But the worst is Gates timing belt kits because they use a cheap Chinese water pump instead of sourcing it from Aisin, Hitachi, NPW, or some other OE supplier. Even GMB or Graf would be a step up. You definitely don't want to cheap out when the water pump is driven by the timing belt!

GMB isn't too bad for a cheap aftermarket pump, and they are an OE supplier, so they would be a second or third choice if you can't get OE or Aisin or something.

Good post- definitely understand the Ford approach, and it gets even worse as Ford "updates" it parts so often, making finding old stock parts even more challenging.

I am likely going to buy new OEM LED 2019 F350 headlights and put them in storage. The lights are proprietary (yes aware of Morimoto), and there really is no solution/ substitution. I have gone as far as considering updating the 2019 F350 to 2020-2022 Ford OEM LED headlights, as a mitigation method.

On the other side of the fence, my 2005 Lexus GX470 has ample OEM part support today, in the past few years I purchased new OEM headlights, new OEM seatcovers, and dozens of OEM mechanical parts.

Just be glad you don't have a Cadillac XLR or Jeep Comanche

 

[tblt44]

Many years ago replaced my leaky water pump at 100k with one from there 250k on truck before it was sold, it was still going

 

[nthach]

The next problem becomes all the big stores are moving everything to house brands because the margins are greater. O'Reilly offers Masterpro and Precision, but I'm not convinced the Precision is an ounce better although obviously each application can vary.

Then again I just posted where a Murray idler pulley was Litens, with a commensurate price to match ($74 retail, $60 commercial, ~$32 on RA).

And O’Reilly licensed the Precision and Syntec brands from Federal-Mogul/Driv and Castrol, respectively.

I have a feeling all the FLAPS and Gates/Dayco water pumps/t-belt kits are similar and probably made in the same places in China or Vietnam.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Good post- definitely understand the Ford approach, and it gets even worse as Ford "updates" it parts so often, making finding old stock parts even more challenging.

I am likely going to buy new OEM LED 2019 F350 headlights and put them in storage. The lights are proprietary (yes aware of Morimoto), and there really is no solution/ substitution. I have gone as far as considering updating the 2019 F350 to 2020-2022 Ford OEM LED headlights, as a mitigation method.

On the other side of the fence, my 2005 Lexus GX470 has ample OEM part support today, in the past few years I purchased new OEM headlights, new OEM seatcovers, and dozens of OEM mechanical parts.

The last Ford vehicle I was doing a partial restoration on was a full size Bronco in the late 1990s. Even back then, it had already started getting harder to find many oem parts. Things like power window motors, certain gears , interior parts and even some gaskets and hoses. At least at that time one could still find lots of that stuff in the aftermarket companies offerings. I was being told around 1998 at a couple Ford dealerships that I would buy oem parts from for years that they were already phasing out lots of the "under $100" parts. I guess the idea was brewing in their minds as far back as then.... even while they had not made any official statements about it like they did just a few years back when they mentioned nothing older than ten years going forward would be kept stocked. Like it or not , I do see their side of it just from a tax on inventory standpoint that large corporations must deal with in the USA with our IRS.

 

[GON]

The last Ford vehicle I was doing a partial restoration on was a full size Bronco in the late 1990s. Even back then, it had already started getting harder to find many oem parts. Things like power window motors, certain gears , interior parts and even some gaskets and hoses. At least at that time one could still find lots of that stuff in the aftermarket companies offerings. I was being told around 1998 at a couple Ford dealerships that I would buy oem parts from for years that they were already phasing out lots of the "under $100" parts. I guess the idea was brewing in their minds as far back as then.... even while they had not made any official statements about it like they did just a few years back when they mentioned nothing older than ten years going forward would be kept stocked. Like it or not , I do see their side of it just from a tax on inventory standpoint that large corporations must deal with in the USA with our IRS.

I take a different view of Ford parts. My ownership of many Fords (currently have three super duties in the driveway) comes down to Ford using way to many parts in like vehicles.

I posted earlier, I think Ford offers no less than three different alternators for its 2026 F350s. That is three separate designs, three different stock numbers, three different alternators to stock across the US, inefficient parts identification by technician, unnecessary room for part ordering error.

My 2002 F350 I believe has about six different fuel pumps. How easy it must be for the technician or home mechanic to pick a wrong fuel pump. Ford couldn't design one pump for unleaded, one for diesel?

Many are reporting issues at Ford, and not surprising. Seems Ford engineers don't utilize the KISS method in their part usage for their vehicles.

A complete different approach is Honda. Honda has a rule, that every new generation they release of a vehicle must have less parts/less part numbers than the generation of vehicles currently in production. Honda philosophy, less parts equals more reliability, more efficient manufacturing, and more effective after the sale support.

 

[boom10ful]

Bought an Aisin water pump 2 years ago and it's making noise and has lots of side to side play. Unfortunately at least for my application ('14 Sorento) they used a supplier for the part and did not make it themselves.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Bought an Aisin water pump 2 years ago and it's making noise and has lots of side to side play. Unfortunately at least for my application ('14 Sorento) they used a supplier for the part and did not make it themselves.

Was Aisin the OE supplier for your Sportage?

GMB is an OE supplier to Hyundai and Kia, so if you replace it and haven't done the replacement yet, GMB might be worth considering.

 

[Donald]

I am not so sure buying an OEM supplier brand part gets you the exact part they used to manufacture your vehicle.

For example Akebono is a OE supplier but sells several lines of brake pads as replacement. What's to say they don't have additional lines only sold to vehicle manufacturers. Not sure we know.

Another example is Champion Laboratories. They sell oil filters under their own brand and also manufacture for many other brand labels such as Motorcraft, AC Delco, Mobil 1. I am sure if your willing to buy enough filter they can manufacture oil filters to any reasonable spec you put forward.

We could have BITOG brand oil filters manufactured by Champion Laboratories.

Buying a part at a dealer is a different story.