mechanic says the bearings are going on the pump, and they might as well replace the thermostat while they are there.
my question is he right?
do they have to remove the engine to replace either the pump or the thermostat?
seems like a lot of $ for a what should be a simple job ($450).
thanks for your help!

The waterpump is very hard to get at to replace it. They do no thave to remove the engine, but they do have to remove a lot of the components to get to the waterpump. And it is a good idea to replace the thermostat while they have all the components removed. That way u can be sure that the thermostat will not be a problem later on. Especially now during winter. l think that is a fair price, unless u can get somebody else to do it other than a pro. It is worth saving ur engine. If it gets hot, & u run it, ur heads may become warped, ur waterpump will give out & will cause much more damage. u will have to replace the pistons , rings, or probably the entire motor. good luck my friend.

ok well the water pump is a pretty easy fix if u pop the hood & look to the left side of the engine u will see ur serpintine belt the water pump is the pully on top closest to the front of the car & that is prob like an hour to an hour & a half repair. now ur thermostat is on the opposite side of the engine buried under ur throttle body & is labor intensive possibly up to 3 hrs so if l was you, & l had a relitivly new grand am & the bearings were gone in the water pump l would leave the thermostat alone & fix the pump, why fix whats not broke especially if its gonna cost alot. chances r u dont need a thermostat. at NAPA it will cost like 25-35 dollars for the water pump. dont bother with the thermostat.

Sounds like u really either need to ask the mechanic how much would just the water pump & repair labour bill cost u with the thermostat. l really do not think the extra costs r worth it if such a high bill.
One thing u can do is call around on the price of a new pump & then call or check around to find out what a mechanic will charge u just in labour fees & decide from there.

Hope that helps & best of luck.By the way l doubt changing the pump would take any mechanic much longer then 45 to 90 mins to replace especially if they have the right speciality tools.So I'd also check out while comparison shopping the prices on the thermostat but if u do change it I'd install an anti-stick thermostat in it for sure.

If you have the 3.4L V6 the water pump is a simpler job to replace than the one on the 4 cylinder motor. The thermostat on the V6 is in a very tight spot, next to the exhaust pipe. l am unsure about the difficulty of the thermostat replacement on the 4 cyl.