1st Gen R53 Cooper S Which waterpump to buy?

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by fishmonger, Oct 3, 2016.

  1. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

    May 13, 2015
    984
    769
    93
    Madison, WI
    Ratings:
    +895 / 0 / -0
    I am about to do another supercharger service and this time around I may replace the water pump. I just drive around 3000 miles a year and have no issues, but it may be a few more years before I pull the SC again and there are 98k miles on the pump now. No cooling issues.

    Thing is, when looking at the offered parts, there's a range from $28 to well over $100.

    RockAuto has 10 different parts from $33 to $103 (for the remanufactured OEM), while the new part is barely more at $117 , but they want another freaking $5.28 for the o-ring, which comes with all the aftermarket parts).

    Amazon also has about 10 different parts, from $28 to $111.

    Anyone have experience with any of the non-OEM pumps? The last few times I bought cheaper non-oem parts the parts I received were 100% identical to what came off the car (front engine mount, coolant reservoir, fuel pump, radiator frame, belt tensioner, etc).

    It is hard to imagine that there would be 10 differently engineered aftermarket water pumps for a car that sold in relatively low numbers and doesn't really have a huge problem history with that part.
     
  2. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
    Staff Member Articles Moderator Supporting Member

    Jul 31, 2009
    11,164
    6,170
    113
    Male
    Ratings:
    +7,876 / 10 / -3
    The only advice I can give is if you buy from rock auto make sure its a name brand.
     
  3. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

    Jun 4, 2009
    19,424
    10,031
    113
    Retired old fart
    Hooterville Ohio USA
    Ratings:
    +11,656 / 2 / -0
    Since you don't want to do this again due to a duff part I'd recommend buying from eMINIparts.com.
     
  4. CarlB

    CarlB Active Member

    May 4, 2009
    252
    54
    28
    Ratings:
    +54 / 0 / -0
    Try Detroit Tune. He works on the cars and knows the quality of different venders.
     
  5. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

    May 13, 2015
    984
    769
    93
    Madison, WI
    Ratings:
    +895 / 0 / -0
    You're all correct - not big enough of a price difference to mess with uncertain quality However, I actually have no issues with doing that job again. My supercharger gets removed for fresh oil every 1-2 years. I am doing two full SC removals and oil changes over the coming days.

    I'll probably put it back in with the original pump, just like I did last summer. Nothing wrong with the cooling system, but I felt why not do one more thing this time around. I may still change my mind, as I have until end of next week to get the higher mileage car all buttoned up again.
     

Share This Page