Water pump OEM Audi or Saleri

I have a Saleri pump with a Victor reinz paper gasket. I did not realize during my replacement that oem isn’t paper as that’s what was already on there, and haven’t had a problem. Interested to know if they fail slowly or suddenly and if I have to add another preventative maintenance item to my list, but it’s been going strong for 30K miles.

going strong doing water pump and new oil pan right now. Tensioners were done as a precaution at 195k.

Water pump started leaking so replaced it, the thermostat, and the pcv. Oil changes 4k-5k. Love the car.

Water pump went out on two of mine around 100k.

My b9 has had 0 problems except water pump, 110k

I had this happen 200 miles from home. $7 a mile to have it towed home.

Just happened on my rs6 a few months ago. Dealership even had the part in stock because this is common enough. 2 days in the shop. Had to have the car towed. Engine temp would climb evey time I hit the gas.

2019 Audi Q8 water pump failed around 80k miles. After looking into it, I found out Audi originally used a 4-bolt water pump and pulley design on these engines. The problem with the 4-bolt setup is that it didn’t distribute load evenly. Over time this caused premature wear on the shaft and bearings, which led to leaks and pump failures much earlier than expected. Audi must have known it was an issue because they stopped producing the 4-bolt pump and redesigned it with a 6-bolt system that spreads the load better and holds up longer. This wasn’t just normal wear—it was a weak design from the start.

My Audi s5 back then had the v8, and around 43-45000 mi I had to swap mine out

I have the same exact issue on my 2021 Q8 coolant leaking in vaccum system they want over $8k for repairs just hit 51k miles