Water pump questions...help!!

[jcw614]

I took my 2003 Camry LE in to the Toyota dealership today for a routine oil change. The mechanic told me the water pump is leaking and needs to be replaced as soon as possible. They quoted me $406. I am curious if this is a reasonable cost. I priced the part for $88 with a lifetime warranty. Is the water pump very difficult to replace? I am just a "female" (gasp!) that has no clue about such things. My husband is working out of town, so I need to know if this is a serious problem or can it wait for him to work on it (he is not wonderfully skilled in mechanics, it took him 3 days to change the timing belt in our 90 camry years ago). I am a little distressed at letting him at my car which is my baby! So, should I get it fixed for $406, or should I wait and let him attempt to do it? Is there a risk of other problems if this is not fixed right away??!!

[CharmCityES]

is your camry an I4 or V6?
its much easier to install a waterpump on an I4, but its still about 2 hours of billable labor, as the process takes a little time to be done right
its easy to replace, but then again im a toyota tech, so ive done a few...def not a job for a shadetree mechanic with hand tools tho...
removing the water pump mandates you drain all the coolant, remove drive (serpantine) belt, alternator, and then you can have at the water pump...to install a new one, you must first coat the mounting edges of the new waterpump with FIPG or RTV sealent to prevent that sucker from leaking again, let it seal for a few hours, refill coolant and let the air pockets in the cooling system escape to prevent the air pockets from inhabiting the system and making strange noises.
hope this helps.

[CharmCityES]

oh and as well, the waterpump failure is very common on toyotas
its not extremely urget, but id get it fixed ASAP, because if the car is leaking coolant it could overheat.
id pay the dealer to do it, because if done wrong it will leak like a sieve, or even not function properly.