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Water pump bearings and seals tend to have a much higher failure rate after say 100K miles. Although pumps can go to 200K+ without a problem. The idea behind changing the pump at the same time is you need to take off the same parts to do either job. As such, changing out the water pump becomes just an extra ½ hour job, rather then a multi-hour job. As timing belt changes are recommended at 60K mile intervals, your opportunity to do this when changing the belt is limited.
If your car has over 100K miles, consider changing the water pump, idler and tension pulleys, and tension spring. At around 120K miles the idler and tension pulleys start to wear. If you really want to get into it, can change out the crank, oil pump and cam seals. Or at least inspect them for leaking when you do the job.
If you replace the water pump, the coolant system is drained and replacing the thermostat is now an easy job.
If you are doing the job yourself, shop around for parts on-line and at auto parts stores. The dealer also has the parts, but be prepared to spend more.
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