# Waterpump...........Metal Or Plastic?????



## Walshy (Apr 20, 2006)

i saw the thread but just want to know what everyone thinks????

metal or plastic????

:?:


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## CATT (Nov 28, 2005)

No question "plastic". The metal one is not machined to the same tolerance. If you have a look between the two you can notice the difference. When I had the complete timing belt done I supplied the dealer with a metal impeller water pump and when they completed the final check on the complete timing belt job they noticed that the water temperature was running to high when the car was idling. The water temperature dropped once the car took up drive. The result was the metal impeller. They replaced this with the plastic one and everything was fine except I was out of pocket for the metal water pump and the R & R to swap the pump out. Go plastic.


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

CATT said:


> No question "plastic". The metal one is not machined to the same tolerance. If you have a look between the two you can notice the difference. When I had the complete timing belt done I supplied the dealer with a metal impeller water pump and when they completed the final check on the complete timing belt job they noticed that the water temperature was running to high when the car was idling. The water temperature dropped once the car took up drive. The result was the metal impeller. They replaced this with the plastic one and everything was fine except I was out of pocket for the metal water pump and the R & R to swap the pump out. Go plastic.


I'm glad to see someone else had the same experience as me......

I found the same although it cant be said of all pumps, maybe there is a good metal impeller pump out there..


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

Thats a BIG surprise Wak !

For a couple of years on here we have always read that the best thing to do was to replace the water pump (when we change the cam belt) for a meatl one as the plastic ones break up !

:?


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## HighTT (Feb 14, 2004)

CATT said:


> When I had the complete timing belt done I supplied the dealer with a metal impeller water pump and when they completed the final check on the complete timing belt job they noticed that the water temperature was running to high when the car was idling. The water temperature dropped once the car took up drive. The result was the metal impeller. They replaced this with the plastic one and everything was fine .


Could it be a co-incidence and that the 'econ' button controlling
the fans was switched on or off during their idling test with the metal impeller ?


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## rustyintegrale (Oct 1, 2006)

Well APS can supply a good quality metal part. Their argument is that the plastic blades break off the OEM part and can cause more problems.

For what it's worth I had my metal pump fitted by APS earlier this year and the temperature gauge has sat rock solid at 90.

So for me, it's metal everytime.

Cheers

Rich


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## Steve_t (Jan 9, 2006)

No problems here with metal - even in last summer's heat when idling in traffic jams...


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## jbell (May 15, 2006)

I had metal put in mine and have had no problems


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## redsi72 (Nov 13, 2006)

I fitted a metal one.
Awesomegti fit the metal ones to any they change.
Cant remeber the make of it now but this has been mentioned before so do a search on the topic or phone Awesome and ask them.
Out of interest I measured every dimension for comparison between the two pumps and found NO differences!


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## Sickboy (Oct 13, 2004)

Yep Awesome replaced mine with metal last year too, no probs!


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## Walshy (Apr 20, 2006)

thats a co-incidence cause i phoned awesome today to ask and they are sending me the metal one they use

thanks guys


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## J55TTC (Apr 25, 2005)

Ive got a metal one and have not experienced any problems


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## Rad TT (May 17, 2006)

TTotal said:


> Thats a BIG surprise Wak !
> 
> For a couple of years on here we have always read that the best thing to do was to replace the water pump (when we change the cam belt) for a meatl one as the plastic ones break up !
> 
> :?


I have to agree, I was looking to going metal after all the posts on here, Andy Whats your views on this :arrow: :arrow: :idea:


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

TTotal said:


> Thats a BIG surprise Wak !
> 
> For a couple of years on here we have always read that the best thing to do was to replace the water pump (when we change the cam belt) for a meatl one as the plastic ones break up !
> 
> :?


I dont know why John, the info has been on my page for a year or two at least since I had my water pump changed to metal and then replaced back to plastic.

I highlighted it however....


Wak said:


> maybe there is a good metal impeller pump out there..


that was one brand, English made I believe. I hear there are a few others, HEPU is one brand that I believe is German, if I could get a loan of one I can compare it to an oem plastic and tell you if the dimensions are the same.

Those who have had them fitted are either running good pumps or their thermostats are already degraded hence they wont see an issue until a new thermostat is fitted.


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## boss429 (Jan 25, 2007)

TTotal said:


> Thats a BIG surprise Wak !
> 
> For a couple of years on here we have always read that the best thing to do was to replace the water pump (when we change the cam belt) for a meatl one as the plastic ones break up !
> 
> :?


just what i was thinking  also


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## jbell (May 15, 2006)

Wak said:


> Those who have had them fitted are either running good pumps or their thermostats are already degraded hence they wont see an issue until a new thermostat is fitted.


Mine was replaced with a Brass Impellored pump which matches the original specs exactly. The garage that did it have had no problems at all.


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## NaughTTy (Jul 9, 2003)

Wak said:


> TTotal said:
> 
> 
> > Thats a BIG surprise Wak !
> ...


Mine has a metal impeller and I have a new thermostat. Temp sits dead on 90 all the time


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## rustyintegrale (Oct 1, 2006)

Well let's put it this way, APS offer the choice of the plastic OEM part or their own metal part.

They recommend the metal part.

At the end of the day it's down to whose opinion you trust the most. I trust APS which is why I continue to give them my business and recommend others to do so.

I have run a metal impeller in a metal pump at their recommendation since early this year and my temperature gauge is bolt upright at 90 in traffic, on the move, or stationary. If it were otherwise I'm sure Ed and his team would hold their hands up and say go with plastic...

Cheers

Rich


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## ttroy225 (May 18, 2002)

TTotal said:


> Thats a BIG surprise Wak !
> 
> For a couple of years on here we have always read that the best thing to do was to replace the water pump (when we change the cam belt) for a meatl one as the plastic ones break up !
> 
> :?


 Ha Ha! Thats what I thought.. I must sell 10 a week and not had any problems.. My car had one fitted a couple of months bask.. so far so good


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

ttroy225 said:


> TTotal said:
> 
> 
> > Thats a BIG surprise Wak !
> ...


bring one over Troy, I'll compare it to a new oem one I have and if its the same we'll promote the the unit, is it HEPU by any chance?


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

HEPU or FEQU :lol:


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## ttroy225 (May 18, 2002)

The stock we have at the moment (Hans Pries) German make have plastic impellers :roll:

Two schools of thought on this I think.. Some people seem to think if a plastic impeller breaks up there will be less damage done..


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## mon_star_z (Feb 6, 2007)

i have a metal one and had no problems at all when my old water pump went the plastic impeller had split in half and come loose of the shaft lol


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## ttroy225 (May 18, 2002)

Mine too.. we see alot of that here and not just on TT's.


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## bobdabuilda (May 19, 2003)

so is the HEPU brass impellor pump the one to go for now or the plastic oem one? :?


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## bobdabuilda (May 19, 2003)

bump! :?


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## coachvtt (Aug 25, 2009)

I Just had my t-belt kit done over the weekend and the old pump plastic impeller destroyed...80,000 miles

I went with the metal....So Heavy metal it is....can't go wrong...


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## RyanJohnH (Jan 21, 2010)

I have nothing to contribute to this discussion except to say that bobdabuilda's avatar is the best avatar I've seen on here, by miles.

(on topic - had my plastic pump replaced with metal the other day and no issues to date...)


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## bobdabuilda (May 19, 2003)

lol thanks RyanJohn it's what I call 'Hypnotic' after awhile!. What make of waterpump with the metal impeller have you had fitted? Is it the German HEPU?


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## jjones (Jul 25, 2009)

metal in mine and no temp problems at all.

mates a4 1.8t we also did cambel and his pump had the original plastic impeller. at 120k the plastic had fractures in it and was very brittle - only took minimal pressure to break it up completely.


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## L13BUG (Dec 8, 2008)

Well i hope Audi replaced mine with a metal one because i have had 2 plastic ones break in my beetle and tt, the plastic gets hot when running then cold when stood in cold weather and eventually becomes brittle and disintergrates. the one on my beetle had no impeller left ,still managed to drive it 20 miles to garage without blowing her up :lol:


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## SRPII (Jun 1, 2009)

I'd say plastic. Mine lasted 110,000 miles so I figured if another plastic one does the same I'll be happy. I've heard a few issues of metal impellers breaking up and causing untold damage.... Think timing belts jumping as the whole lot momentarily stops....


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

L13BUG said:


> Well i hope Audi replaced mine with a metal one because i have had 2 plastic ones break in my beetle and tt, the plastic gets hot when running then cold when stood in cold weather and eventually becomes brittle and disintergrates. the one on my beetle had no impeller left ,still managed to drive it 20 miles to garage without blowing her up :lol:


Hi, Audi do not supply & fit metal water pumps, only "improved" plastic pumps.If you supply a metal one they will not gurantee the job.
Hoggy.


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## L13BUG (Dec 8, 2008)

fingers crossed it last then, had metal one in beetle and was no problem infact it was the only type my local vw specialist would use at the time.


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2010)

I changed mine last year on 51k miles. The original plastic pump was pretty much pristine.

The indy i used recommended the revised Audi plastic part as the one to go for. They had encountered problems with metal ones not performing well.


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## neps74 (Mar 7, 2009)

Recently had mine changed with T-belt at 80K and the plastic OEm fell apart when the garage removed it. They used a plastic AUDI OEM to replace it as i thought if a get another 80K out of that then ill be happy


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## bobdabuilda (May 19, 2003)

So the jury is still out on the matter..... WAK- have you tested any of the brass ones yet? John H- any views?


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## les (Jul 24, 2006)

Had my water pump replaced with a metal one when I had my cam belt changed about 18months ago along with the thermostat. The only thing I have noticed is that my temp rises over 90 now but falls back to 90 on a regular basis as I am driving. :?


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

Wak tested a non Audi metal one and found increased engine temperature - there was some detail dimensional changes on the impellor, so that may have explained it or perhaps it was something else as the temperature should really be regulated by the thermostat ... mostly. Details are on his site.

I had been told that Audi were supplying "metal" ones now but perhaps they are just improved plastic ones - I don't know as I've not bought one recently enough.

I'd stick to the Audi one anyway as even the old one lasted long enough until the belt needed changing if you are changing the belt at 50k miles or 5 years. The new "improved" one shoulf last even longer, so really there is no reason to go for an aftermarket metal one unless you want it to last a lifetime but the bearing seals don't last forever either, so I'd just fit a new Audi one.


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

John-H said:


> Wak tested a non Audi metal one and found increased engine temperature - there was some detail dimensional changes on the impellor, so that may have explained it or perhaps it was something else as the temperature should really be regulated by the thermostat ... mostly. Details are on his site.
> 
> I had been told that Audi were supplying "metal" ones now but perhaps they are just improved plastic ones - I don't know as I've not bought one recently enough.
> 
> I'd stick to the Audi one anyway as even the old one lasted long enough until the belt needed changing if you are changing the belt at 50k miles or 5 years. The new "improved" one shoulf last even longer, so really there is no reason to go for an aftermarket metal one unless you want it to last a lifetime but the bearing seals don't last forever either, so I'd just fit a new Audi one.


The Original plastic was a bit like a plastic wheel on a toy but with some mass however this would crack.

The later pumps are a kind of Bakolite, similar to the material that rotor arms and distributor caps are made of and not only feel solid and better quality ( so far we have not had any problems) but they also ping when flicked a bit like a metalic /aluminium sound.

i believe this is where the Audi "metal" pump term comes from as even I initially believe it was a metal impellor until I got one in my hands.

Stick to the latest revised Audi pumps they have been pretty reliable and feel much better quality.

The Aftermarket brass/metal pumps may be better now, but not worth the risk, most people running them wouldnt know if their car used to run at 88 degrees and is now at 93 degrees average or perhaps even worry about it..... but I do!


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## les (Jul 24, 2006)

John-H said:


> I'd stick to the Audi one anyway as even the old one lasted long enough until the belt needed changing if you are changing the belt at 50k miles or 5 years..


 That's just the point John, from what I hear many impellers were NOT lasting 50k or 5 years. However the failings only often came to light when people had the cambelt changed and a number of the pumps impeller blades were found to have broken off. However I have no doubt the new Audi ones are much better and far less prone to premature failure.


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

Wak said:


> The later pumps are a kind of Bakolite, similar to the material that rotor arms and distributor caps are made of and not only feel solid and better quality ( so far we have not had any problems) but they also ping when flicked a bit like a metalic /aluminium sound.
> 
> i believe thes is where the Audi "metal" pump term comes from as even I initially believe it was a metal impellor until I got one in my hands.
> 
> Stick to the latest revised Audi pumps they have been pretty reliable and feel much better quality.


Did Audi install these updated one in new cars or is this a post production modification?

If fitted to new builds from roughly when did Audi start fitting the revised units?


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## bobdabuilda (May 19, 2003)

Thanks all, I'll stick with the OEM one then.


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