It's long established good engineering practice on any engine to replace the water pump at the same time as the cam belt. This is simply a pro-active preventative maintenance activity as most of the labour involved in a water pump change is needed as part of the belt and tensioners swap so the extra cost of doing it at the same time is virtually parts only.
Most cars will only have one maybe 2 belt changes in their lifetime so makes sense to not have to do a failed water pump out of step with belt changes.
Of course some engines have easier access to these jobs so the case for the preventative maintenance can differ to a degree depending on the car.
It's a matter of choice at the end of the day but as an Engineer I would say it's a big ask of a water pump's bearings/impeller and seal to go to the 2nd cambelt change interval (which I'm guessing could be 12 years or 180k miles) without failing.
Of course Volvo won't care about your water pump failing in between cam belt changes - why would they?
Last edited by RDesign4Life; May 7th, 2022 at 11:50.
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