If the water pump and upper/lower rad hoses are replaced on the 3.5L
engine in a 300m, how much coolant would still be left in the engine?

Would there be enough to warrant the extra cost of a "coolant flush"
prior to putting new coolant in the engine?

Also, do I need to make any special request when it comes to which type
of new coolant to put in, or can I trust that the dealership will use
the "correct" coolant type during the job?

Steve wrote:

That was exactly my experience when I supplied the parts for that job to
be done on my 3.2 (same engine as 3.5 except bore) about 4 years ago.
Prices have gone up - and quality has gone down (see below).

I'm reading a *bunch* of 1st hand posts by *very* knowledgeable and
unimpeachable LH car people on the various LH car forums that say that
the true OEM water pumps on these engines are, as of 2 to 4 months ago,
no longer available from the dealers. Used to be you had a choice of
the true factory pumps and the cheaper line boxed as Mopar brand
(similar to the Valu-Line) - all that you can get now are essentially
the same pumps from who-knows-where that you find in the aftermarket
world. Some of these are Gates, but they are a lower quality level of
Gates, or lowest bidder crap boxed as Gates.

If the reports are anywhere near true, the days of getting a
long-lasting factory-equivalent water pump for your LH car are over.
What's available are generally crap - from dealer or otherwise.

--
Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')