I am so sorry......I've been following this saga of yours for an unbelievably long time now. A complete tear down, and nut and bolt rebuild of the entire driveline should be completed by this time! I'm wondering which wrench you chose...Moe, Larry,and Curley Auto, W. E. Cheatum Garage, or was it a local, independent, Chimpanzee? Post their name, so none of us stumble into this little shop of horrors As for the water pump, that price is probably what you would expect as a stand alone repair, but this is not a stand alone repair if they are in there anyway. What you stand to gain by challenging them at this point, is iffy. When it's running(and leaving) may be better timing. You don't anger the surgeon, that is about to remove the wart from your yutz...save it for the recovery room. You may have cause to take legal action at this point. I feel your pain, and I'm rooting for ya'. Hope the story ends soon. Wayne