Preferred Automotive
12356 Wilkins Ave, Rockville, MD 20852 301.881.8530

Preferred Automotive Tech Question On Your Water Pump

Last Updated: Nov 25, 2025

Preferred Automotive Tech Question:
I was driving on the freeway in Maryland and my vehicle engine started to get hot. I turned off my air conditioner and was able to drive the short distance to my meeting and then found a shop in Rockville. It turns out that my water pump was leaking. It cost me many hundreds of dollars to get it fixed. What could I have done to avoid this?

Preferred Automotive Answer:
This guy's story really did have a happy ending. When you continue driving when your engine's overheating you risk a catastrophic engine failure. It really is a good idea to pull over and let your vehicle engine cool down before driving again. If you add water or coolant, be sure your engine is cool or you risk serious burns.

Now there's no way for Rockville drivers to predict when their water pump will fail – they just wear out. This fellow's water pump replacement was more expensive because his water pump is driven by his timing belt. That requires a lot of hours to get to the water pump and then put everything back on the engine.

A money saving tip from Preferred Automotive in Rockville: if your water pump is driven by your timing belt – replace the pump when you have your scheduled timing belt replacement. That way most of the work is already done and you don't have to pay for it twice.

Check with your friendly and knowledgeable professionals at Preferred Automotive about when your timing belt should be replaced.

Give us a call

Preferred Automotive
12356 Wilkins Ave
Rockville, Maryland 20852
301.881.8530

At Preferred Automotive we install quality NAPA replacement parts.