[AlexTopFitment]

Hey all,

So I just recently detailed my 335i engine bay, and about 2-3 weeks later my water pump blew leaving me stranded. I know my detailing method was very standard, explained below, but don't know the N54 configuration well enough to say whether misting degreaser / light water in the engine bay could cause such failure later on.

Could it be the cause? Where is the water pump exactly? Has anyone else experienced such a case?

Detailing process;
Allow engine to cool to the touch
Cover dual cone intakes with towels
Lightly spray engine bay with water
Lightly spray degreaser (P21S Total Auto Wash, non-acidic and supposedly engine/paint safe)
Brush engine parts with damp wool brush
Lightly rinse engine bay with water
Spot detail problem areas with steamer & brush/MF towel

Thanks for your input/feedback

[glachhman]

Not sure to your specific situation however my SA said my leaking valve cover caused the premature failure of my water pump.

[135Pats]

Very likely just a coincidence.

[GoRomeo]

Plain coincidence I think. I dont believe washing your engine will cause your water pump to fail. The water pump is well down the bottom of engine. How many miles?

Dont forget to replace your thermostat as well.

[pgaplayerless]

Not related.

[DRock3d]

Not even close. The water pump is on the bottom of the engine. If you didn't have an undertray on for some reason it's going to get a lot more water down there than washing the engine bay. The electronics in the pump are sealed and gasketed. You'd have to submerge it to have any chance of getting water in there.

[pgaplayerless]

Originally Posted by DRock3d

Not even close. The water pump is on the bottom of the engine. If you didn't have an undertray on for some reason it's going to get a lot more water down there than washing the engine bay. The electronics in the pump are sealed and gasketed. You'd have to submerge it to have any chance of getting water in there.

Not to mention the water pumps gets plenty wet every time you drive while its pouring....

[AlexTopFitment]

Thought so. 56k miles.

My SA actually didn't state that the thermostat was a standard replacement item and that it needed to throw a code in order for them to justify replacing it under warranty (extended aftermarket warranty). I thought this was ludicrous.

Also, the warranty company isn't covering coolant, bolts, or anything outside 3 hours man hours of labor (BMW quoted 4.5). So looks like $400 out of pocket. I sent a nasty email.

How many labor hours were your quotes from BMW?

[135Pats]

Originally Posted by AlexTopFitment

Thought so. 56k miles.

My SA actually didn't state that the thermostat was a standard replacement item and that it needed to throw a code in order for them to justify replacing it under warranty (extended aftermarket warranty). I thought this was ludicrous.

Also, the warranty company isn't covering coolant, bolts, or anything outside 3 hours man hours of labor (BMW quoted 4.5). So looks like $400 out of pocket. I sent a nasty email.

How many labor hours were your quotes from BMW?

WP + Thermo is all labor, it’s a pain to get down there. Honestly the best time to do it is in conjunction with a turbo swap, since it has to come off anyways the tech doing the work really isn’t doing anything additional. So you can usually bundle that into the labor cost for the turbo swap. You see the extent to which I do mental gymnastics to justify upgraded snails

[Mardio]

Does not sound related to me.

[critical05]

I believe the water pump is located on the passenger side sitting low behind the radiator. It should be able to handle direct water spray just due to the location of the part.

I had my waterpump start leaking on me and had it replaced under CPO. I had read that its easy to replace the thermostat in conjunction with the pump due to the accessibility so i asked if the would do that. They just charged me for the thermostat (part cost) since the labor and pump was covered.

I tried looking what it cost and labor involved, but it doesn't list it. Stat was $126