vs
Water pump Gates or OEM BMW
It ended up being the water pump seal. They replaced the water pump and thermostat free of charge.
Pros: replaced water pump
Vehicle:
BMW
I put a gates on my 2005 in August. No issues so far.
Pros: no issues so far
I got a metal impeller gates and I’ve been beating on it for five years or more without any hiccups.
Pros: no hiccups, metal impeller
Vehicle:
BMW
I paid similar for a BMW TBF, however, another garage told me that the garage I went to was known for charging high prices. I always shop around when the price is in the hundreds so I'm confident I wasn't ripped off.
Vehicle:
Volvo S80
Electric water pump on my BMW was \u00a3436.54 fitted at a BMW specialist (not dealership) OEM pump fitted, the same pump for me to buy and fit myself (no chance) was \u00a3600+ on Euro Car Parts
Cons: expensive, difficult to fit
Vehicle:
BMW
I've owned my 2013 535i M Sport since 2018 with 44k miles. Other than the regular maintenance items... 2021- oil filter canister gasket replacement -$ 800 ( I think. I can't find the receipt) 2024- passenger valve cover gasket- $660 Driver's door handle replacement -$250 2025- water pump and thermostat- $1750
Pros: enjoyed the car
Cons: expensive when breaks
Vehicle:
BMW
Mileage: 70797 km
I had an 2001 740iL that I traded an old truck for. The electronics are kind of a nightmare, the water pump has a plastic impeller that likes to randomly explode and shoot plastic all through the cooling system. You can buy one with a metal impeller that solves this.
Pros: metal impeller solves issue
Cons: plastic impeller explodes
Vehicle:
BMW
During COVID, that water pump was on backorder from Ford so I used one from Gates. I guess Gates had a bad batch and 2 of their's failed in the span of less than a year.
Cons: bad batch, failed quickly
The only one to really avoid out of the 5 choices on Rockauto is the Gates, because of the cheap stamped impeller. Personally, I would not go with an aluminum pump body in this application, but that's just my opinion after working on vehicles for a living for 45+ years.
Cons: cheap stamped impeller
I used a Gates pump the first time and it leaked. I uninstalled it, cleaned everything up, regreased all the seals, and reinstalled it it... still leaked. Turns out the Gates water pumps for the ecodiesel are just garbage.
Cons: leaked repeatedly, poor quality
Write your review
Help others - share your experience with this part.
Comparisons
Show all
VS
Water pump OEM Audi or OEM Volkswagen
VS
Water pump GRAF or OEM Volkswagen
VS
Water pump AISIN or OEM Volkswagen
VS
Water pump Gates or OEM Volkswagen
VS
Water pump Hepu or OEM Volkswagen
VS
Water pump Pierburg or OEM Volkswagen
VS
Water pump OEM FORD or OEM Volkswagen
VS
Water pump OEM BMW or OEM Volkswagen
Show all
Voted AGAINST engine oil RAVENOL on the rating page
The brake pads OEM Alfa Romeo got the first review!
The brake caliper OEM BMW got the first review!
The brake pads OEM Infiniti got the first review!
For wiper blades PIAA already 100 reviews.
For battery Energizer already 25 reviews.
In the rating best water pump already 12 brands participate!
In the rating best timing belt already 13 brands participate!
In the rating best head gasket already 3 brands participate!
In the auto rating oil filter for Volkswagen Passat already 5 brands participate!
In the auto rating brake pads for Mazda 5 already 10 brands participate!
In the auto rating tires for Subaru Outback already 50 brands participate!
For cabin filter Fram already 25 reviews.
Voted AGAINST engine oil RED LINE on the rating page
Voted AGAINST engine oil PENNZOIL on the rating page
Which water pump to choose — Gates or OEM BMW?
If choosing water pump across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare water pump across these categories:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which water pump are better — OEM BMW or Gates?
In March 2026 on PartReview, water pump OEM BMW were overall better than Gates.
- Gates received a PR Score of 32 out of 100, and OEM BMW scored 68 points.
- Gates ranked 12 in the overall ranking, and OEM BMW ranked 5.
- The average rating is higher for OEM BMW (3.4) than for Gates (2.1).
-
Water pump OEM BMW have better feature ratings than Gates:
- Noise - owners believe, that this property for OEM BMW is better than Gates.
- Leaks - drivers claim, that this property for OEM BMW is outperforms Gates.
- Overheating - reviews suggest, that this property for OEM BMW is preferred to Gates.
Which water pump are more popular — Gates or OEM BMW?
Water pump Gates and OEM BMW were equally popular according to data in March 2026.
By vote balance, water pump OEM BMW surpassed Gates:
- For Gates, the ratio of positive (62) to negative (128) votes is -66 votes.
- For OEM BMW, the ratio of positive (61) to negative (28) votes is 33 votes.
By number of reviews, water pump Gates surpassed OEM BMW:
- For water pump Gates there are 61 review: 16 positive, 7 neutral, 38 negative.
- For water pump OEM BMW there are 28 reviews: 17 positive, 5 neutral, 6 negative.
Which water pump do car owners prefer — Gates or OEM BMW?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, water pump Gates and OEM BMW have not taken top places in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding your review about these manufacturers.
Other comparisons of water pump
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of water pump Gates with: OEM Volkswagen, OEM Audi, GRAF, AISIN, Hepu, Pierburg, OEM FORD, OEM Toyota, GMB, Saleri.
Also available: comparisons of water pump OEM BMW with: OEM Volkswagen, OEM Audi, GRAF, AISIN, Hepu, Pierburg, OEM FORD, OEM Toyota, GMB, Saleri.
You can also see who is better among other water pump manufacturers: OEM Audi or OEM Volkswagen, GRAF or OEM Volkswagen, AISIN or OEM Volkswagen, Gates or OEM Volkswagen, Hepu or OEM Volkswagen.