[amn3sia]

So I don't know if this is partially fate or what, but my M3 has been in desperate need of a new thermostat. I bought an OEM thermostat from a local mechanic that I recently used to replace my engine mounts.

I watched a couple of YT videos on thermostat DIYs and heard someone say that it is a good idea to also do the water pump while doing the thermostat replacement. My M3 is sitting around 76K miles, so I figure that it would be a good idea and so I call BMW first to get a quote. They quoted me $749, my jaw hits the floor!

Thinking about the deal that I got from the mechanic on the OEM thermostat part and the engine mount replacement, I figured I'd ask him for a quote on a NEW OEM water pump. He told me that he can definitely order one for me, and quoted me at $249 with quick delivery, so I told him that he had a deal. I didn't look online any further, thinking that I could definitely live with the $249 price tag.

Fast forward a week, I shoot him a text message to ask if it was cool for me to drop by and grab the new water pump. He confirmed the times he would be there and I ask him one more time SPECIFICALLY if this is a "new OEM water pump" and he texts me back with a resounding "YES". I didn't want to waste my time and gas driving the ~30 minutes down to his shop to pick up some piece of s**t aftermarket water pump (I had bad luck in a previous life with an aftermarket WP for my old Audi S8).

I swing by his shop, talk to him for a few minutes / general chit-chat, and he hands me the water pump in a box decorated with GEBA print. I asked him if he was POSITIVE that this was an OEM water pump, he says "yes, this is what BMW uses for replacements". I told him that I hadn't done any research on these online, but that I thought the OEM pumps had plastic/composite impellers. He tells me that he thinks they did away with the plastic impellers some time ago, in favor of the cast metal impellers.

I buy the spoonful of b.s. he fed me and break out my credit card. He then says "do you mind if I add on $25 for shipping?" and says that his distributor charged him $25 for overnight shipping, I sigh and reluctantly agree to pay the extra $25 and 9%+ WA state sales tax.

A few days later (this past Saturday), I drive over to my friend's garage to replace everything. I get to his house a little late, so he gives me the code to the garage door on the phone as wishes me luck. I start stripping everything down, and ~40 minutes later I have the thermostat housing off of my motor. Another 15 minutes and I have the housing cleaned up and the new thermostat installed in the housing.

At this point, I'm staring at the big heavy GEBA water pump. I start looking around for tools in my friends garage... he has every socket in the world, but ZERO wrenches (he later told me that his fiance left them upstairs after she assembled a bunch of IKEA type furniture). I am also a little confused as to how to get the tensioner to give up some slack so I can get the belt off.

A cigarette and phone call later, I decide f**k it - I'll just wait on doing my water pump until I have an OEM part and the rest of the tools that I need. I'm also nervous at the proposition of loosening by belt without being totally sure of the process (+ no spare belts). I button everything up, fill the motor with a fresh batch of coolant, and clean up the horrendous mess that I made in my friend's garage.

So now, I am a little pissed off at the situation with the water pump. I'm actually getting mad as I type this - thinking that he might have played me for a fool. I have seen GEBAs on sale, online for as low as $149. I spent about twice that for the one that is sitting in the trunk of my car.

I don't know if he just didn't know that it wasn't OEM or if he ripped me the f**k off. This guy and his shop ONLY works on BMWs, primarily E46's, but they will work on anything with the blue and white propellers on the hood emblem.

What do you think?