I heard the exact opposite from someone.  I was told that the dealer pumps are
the ones that fail after about 50,000 miles.  There are some junk aftermarket
pumps, but "i am told" that a good german aftermarket water pump should outlast
a dealer pump.  Is this true?
steve
1990 syncro westfalia

Earl Smith wrote:

> I have just finished flushing the cooling system and replacing the coolant.
> Of course, when I started the engine the water pump began whining for the
> first time!  I was advised by a friend in the recycling business - who
> refused to sell me a used pump - to buy a dealer's pump and not an
> aftermarket product.  He says the system is too stressed to rely on some
> unknown manufacturer producing a pump that can move the coolant 24 ft from
> the engine to the rad and back.  What is the experience out there?
>
> Earl from Sunny Sooke
> 84 ex-California Vanagon