Today, I brought in a '96 Honda Accord EX-R V6 in for service with 77,000km...when I went to pick up the car...the service advisor told me the waterpump was leaking badly, and needed to be replaced...he also said the timing belt, due to its location near the waterpump, is probably saturated by coolant, and should be replaced at the same time...what I found weird was that if the waterpump was leaking "badly", wouldn't I see a big puddle of coolant under the car...or see a rise in temperature on my dash? so anyhow, the cost is $600CAD before taxes...what is the "typical" lifetime of these waterpumps, especially for a Honda? Did it fail a little prematurely? Kinda a stab in the dark question, but any insight would be appreciated...thanx...

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1995 black pearl/black Mercedes-Benz E420 :