Water Pump for a CR170 TDI Engine (CEGA)

[Speed-FReek]

In the ETKA parts catalogue, there are two water pumps listed for the CEGA engine. A 03L121011G and a 03L121011GX. The "G" version is more than twice the price of the "GX" version.

Does anyone know why there are two pumps listed for this engine and what the difference is between the two to warrant such a difference in price?

 

[Tander]

In the ETKA parts catalogue, there are two water pumps listed for the CEGA engine. A 03L121011G and a 03L121011GX. The "G" version is more than twice the price of the "GX" version.

Does anyone know why there are two pumps listed for this engine and what the difference is between the two to warrant such a difference in price?

If its anything like the BWJ / BWA motors, the newer pump has a metal impeller, where the older one was plastic and prone to breaking.

 

[Speed-FReek]

The pictures I've seen online of both the "G" and the "GX" versions of the genuine VAG pumps look like they both have plastic impellers (?)

 

[Tander]

Yeah, they are both black, IIRC. So, you wont be able to tell from a picture.

 

[Speed-FReek]

I did a bit more digging and it looks like you you are probably right. 03L121011G appears to have a metal impeller and 03L121011GX looks to be made of plastic.

I wonder why VAG even bother to supply a plastic impeller variant at all. And more to the point, I wonder which one they fit as part of their fixed price cam belt and water pump replacement service. It's £399 for just the cam belt replacement or £529 if you also have the water pump done at the same time, so effectively £130 for the water pump. There doesn't appear to be any choice given about whether you want a plastic or metal impeller pump. The part price for the plastic impeller pump (03L121011GX) is ~£60 and for the metal impeller pump (03L121011G) it's ~£125. To make any kind of profit I suspect they probably just fit a plastic impeller pump.

 

[Speed-FReek]

OK, I just got a definitive answer for this from a dealer.

There is no genuine OEM water pump for the CEGA engine with a metal impeller. The OEM pumps for that engine all have plastic impellers.

The difference between 03L121011G and 03L121011GX is that 03L121011G is a straight purchase, while the 03L121011GX is an exchange purchase (the suffixing "X" means "exchange").

So for both part numbers you get exactly the same part but one requires that you send back your old water pump, thus the reason it is more than half the price of the other.

 

[Number12]

Exactly one is brand new never used, the other is used one that was rebuild from scratch.

OK, I just got a definitive answer for this from a dealer.

There is no genuine OEM water pump for the CEGA engine with a metal impeller. The OEM pumps for that engine all have plastic impellers.

The difference between 03L121011G and 03L121011GX is that 03L121011G is a straight purchase, while the 03L121011GX is an exchange purchase (the suffixing "X" means "exchange").

So for both part numbers you get exactly the same part but one requires that you send back your old water pump, thus the reason it is more than half the price of the other.

 

[Speed-FReek]

Exactly one is brand new never used, the other is used one that was rebuild from scratch.

Yes, and I've also been reliably informed that more often than not, the cheaper rebuilt exchange units (03L121011GX) are generally a better option than the more expensive brand new units (03L121011G).

This is because the brand new units are usually only fitted to new engines, or at the explicit request of an owner to fit a brand new one. Because of this it often means that the brand new units have been sitting around in stock rooms for years and were built with older generation components, whereas the rebuilt exchange units are recycled more often so it's likely they will have been (re)built with newer generation components.

Just something to keep in mind.