GMB faulty water pumps?

[bspurloc]

Ok I replaced the water pump on my daughters car 01/2012 I believe it was the original water pump I yanked out.
I replaced it with a GMB lifetime warranty $45.
Since I had converted this to electric fans this is an extremely simple job.

My daughter gets home today and says the car is making loud clicking noises. I go outside turn it on hear noise from the engine open it look in and I see the water pump wobbling.... UH?!?!

Went down to Advance auto showed them my lifetime warranty they dont have GMB brand anymore and gave me a Toughone with lifetime warranty brand and I put it in...

Are GMB known to be junk? just over 2 years old and the bearings were totally shot. I could clunk it up and down etc.

 

[Playsinsnow]

I've read mixed reviews on GMB as a whole. I looked into them when someone suggested their hubs a few days ago. Personally I wouldn't buy anything of theirs, yet. Warranty or not.

 

[djthumper]

I have not bought anything GMB because of the mixed reviews that I have seen either.

 

[triz]

I have one installed after my Napa one crapped out. I have not had any issues with it. Lots of these are Made in China. If you can find one that's not go with that.

On that note I do have a Napa one on my shelf if your looking to replace a current one for I believe 25 shipped in the classifieds.

 

[IllogicTC]

I have one installed after my Napa one crapped out. I have not had any issues with it. Lots of these are Made in China. If you can find one that's not go with that.

On that note I do have a Napa one on my shelf if your looking to replace a current one for I believe 25 shipped in the classifieds.

I'm half-and-half on the "made in China" thing. DeWalt is a pretty well-known brand... made in China. Apple iPhones, lauded by zealous fans everywhere.... made in China. I think it's less about the actual making in China, and a whoooooooooooooooooooooooooole lot more about the MAKER. A company with a good reputation, wanting to keep it, will be willing to shell out more dollars (since we're paying more dollars for that quality anyway) to make sure their contracted factory in China does well, stays within specifications, and builds to standard. Inspections and tours of the plants by executives from stateside are actually not all that uncommon, either.

Other people just shovel some cash toward a random factory and say "make this." Oh it's made, but on their level and not ours, then. THOSE are the "CCC," those and Chinese companies themselves who are willing to export to America but are either targeting their domestic market, or the American market with an undercutting price point. And when it comes to those, we have no clue on whether Xi Pao Solutions is better than Qin Jong Industries (made up those names).

And then there's those who just have inherently-flawed designs, or provide specifications and tolerances which are garbage. Then, it doesn't matter what factory makes it, or the country.

 

[triz]

I have to agree with you there. I think it all depends on the company. A company like Apple is going to have real strict quality standards. Whereas a lesser company is going to say, yeah that's good enough.

 

[bspurloc]

I have one installed after my Napa one crapped out. I have not had any issues with it. Lots of these are Made in China. If you can find one that's not go with that.

On that note I do have a Napa one on my shelf if your looking to replace a current one for I believe 25 shipped in the classifieds.

Well it is a lifetime warranty part so they gave me the equivalent a ToughOne as replacement which is now installed which also has a lifetime warranty.

You only get to do 1 lifetime warranty so if the toughone dies prematurely I bought the GMB with my AMEX, so I will just give amex a call and tell them all about the lifetime warranty and they will credit me the $45 so I can buy another replacement. But I am hoping to not have to do that a water pump should last at least 100,000 miles especially with no fan stress on it!
But maybe not having a clutch fan stresses the water pump bearings more not less? who knows. still beats paying $350 for an 'electric' clutch fan replacement and breaking your back to loosen the clutch fan bolt.

 

[bspurloc]

I'm half-and-half on the "made in China" thing. DeWalt is a pretty well-known brand... made in China. Apple iPhones, lauded by zealous fans everywhere.... made in China. I think it's less about the actual making in China, and a whoooooooooooooooooooooooooole lot more about the MAKER. A company with a good reputation, wanting to keep it, will be willing to shell out more dollars (since we're paying more dollars for that quality anyway) to make sure their contracted factory in China does well, stays within specifications, and builds to standard. Inspections and tours of the plants by executives from stateside are actually not all that uncommon, either.

Other people just shovel some cash toward a random factory and say "make this." Oh it's made, but on their level and not ours, then. THOSE are the "CCC," those and Chinese companies themselves who are willing to export to America but are either targeting their domestic market, or the American market with an undercutting price point. And when it comes to those, we have no clue on whether Xi Pao Solutions is better than Qin Jong Industries (made up those names).

And then there's those who just have inherently-flawed designs, or provide specifications and tolerances which are garbage. Then, it doesn't matter what factory makes it, or the country.

yeah all this junk is made in china, you cant really pick and choose which one to label bad because "made in china".

That is why I question if GMB parts in general are junk, 2 years and done for a water pump is highly irrational.
no excuse by defective bearings or something.

 

[bspurloc]

OH! TouchOne is Assembled in the USA! so it better not crap out!

View attachment 33489

 

[IllogicTC]

OH! TouchOne is Assembled in the USA! so it better not crap out!

View attachment 21034

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The assembly put together in the U.S. resembles the chain, but it says the links are both domestic and foreign. Let's see if the theory holds up

 

[fishcreek]

Assembled in USA? If they say so. It really doesn't make sense assembling it in the US if the labor is cheaper in China. Maybe boxed in USA is what they mean..

 

[IllogicTC]

Assembled in USA? If they say so. It really doesn't make sense assembling it in the US if the labor is cheaper in China. Maybe boxed in USA is what they mean..

DeWalt's planning to do the same thing. "Made in the USA from globally-sourced parts." They're still saving by having parts manufactured and assembled in other countries, the assembly is a "feel-good" thing as it very well could be three guys watching a robot do the work, or literally just putting two halves together, or something.

 

[triz]

Depending also when you did your water pump. Removing the clutch fan could have also but undo stress on the water pump. I had to replace my water pump again shortly after replacing the fan clutch.

 

[bspurloc]

Depending also when you did your water pump. Removing the clutch fan could have also but undo stress on the water pump. I had to replace my water pump again shortly after replacing the fan clutch.

The clutch went bad like a month before the water pump went bad in 1/2012. It had 150,000 miles on it so it was expected to go bad anytime soon.
The GMB never had any stresses related to clutch removal on it as once you go electric its merely 9 bolts and its off. It did have around 30,000 miles on it when the bearings went bad last week.

as for ToughOne... yeah I purposely ignored the FOREIGN pieces part haha...