Water pump AISIN or GRAF

I installed one on me 325i 12k miles ago, no issues so far, it was part of the FCP euro water pump kits

6 months and 4000km on mine. Only found out a while after Graf has a bad rep. But no problems with mine yet.

Rotors/ pads\nKYB shocks\nOEM Aisin water pump\nRear brake pads\nFront calipers

When you do get a pump, buy the entire pump (front and back hemisphere) (like a GRAF brand). If this engine has been moving grit, the rear half of the water pump will be worn more open and not be able to move fluid efficiently.

My impression was (recommended by many) this specific seller had everything OEM, water pump was the correct Aisin one.

RockAuto Aisin with the logos ground off. That’s when you know it’s the real deal.

Aisin only. It's the Oem.

As for the aluminum one made by/marketed as Graf, there are a few issues in my experience. First, the rubber gasket from the housing to the block is known to fail by tearing where the link in the gasket between the two passage connect. I think this is because the gasket does not precise fit in the channel for the seal machined into the housing. On the one that just put on an engine I just put in my '12 Tiguan, I cut that link out, effectively making two seals and relieving the tension in the seal. Next, the O ring seal supplied for the temp sensor is known to disintegrate, so I got a factory seal. Last, if your engine has a late water pump currently with the clip that holds in the temp sensor, the two mounting bolts to the block at the sensor will be too short for the aluminum pump housing, so you need to get the bolts for an early water pump. Honestly, as long as you don't have any oil leaks, the latest factory water pump is fine. I generally don't trust aftermarket water pumps, as I have had too many fail over the years (not on these engines, just in general). I used this Graf aluminum water pump as a test. The quality seems good, but time will tell.

Bought an Aisin waterpump off ebay and installed during the swap but it is making an awful racket and has me concerned it is a fake or otherwise defective out the box. Not sure how to share a video here but it sounds like a loud buzzing and i dont remember the old waterpump making that noise.

graf has failed on me twice prematurely