Why the windshield washer pumps fail for everyone

[Quicksilver]

It aint the difficulty of the install it's the intent.
Some dealers will do small stuff for no charge.
Often it depends on your relationship with the
dealership and the SA.

If it's a 3 minute job and they know it and you
know it then customer service comes into to play.
I've seen it time and time again. I've also seen the
opposite. You just never know.

Originally Posted by m5james

My son could change the washer pump, so comparing it to changing the oil isn't a good comparison. I get your drift though.

[rlabair]

FCX56, no malice taken. Actually, got a laugh out of it! Thanks though for the reply. I'm officially off the pirate hook

[kbruzzone]

Does the pump remove from the bottom of the tank or up through the hole.

[TriX5]

Pumps now below $15 on Ebay, I got quoted $200 for repair the other day..... :-)

[TiAgX5]

Originally Posted by xfizzle

.....the pumps fail because the seal between the motor and the pump area eventually leaks with age and rusts out the motor...........

Running the pump dry and tap water can get that seal to leak in no time. 9 yrs and over 150k miles dealing with Florida lovebugs and the pumps are still OE in my X. Top shelf fluids, BMW, Prestone and Rain-X are the only ones to use, If the stuff you are using costs less then distilled water, you caused the seals to fail.

[jv2000]

Here is a quick DIY guide i wrote up after having to replace one of my leaky pumps on a 2006 X3 and one of my aunt's on her 2008. Hopefully the photos and explanation will help make it easier for anyone thinking about replacing them on their own:

BMW X3 Washer Pump Replacement DIY Guide

The part linked to there is an original OEM Siemens pump that you can order from Amazon.

Hope that helps the community save some bucks...