P261B Code Water pump failure

I just went through this so I thought I would post it here for anyone having the same trouble. Long story short, I replaced the water pump and thermostat myself for ~$330(end of 2025 price) and 3 hours of work.
Long story long, 2015 v with 110K miles. I got the check engine light and I immediately checked it with an OBD2 dongle and app. It said P261B. I cleaned the EGR system a few months back and I had lost a little coolant. I thought maybe there were bubbles in the system(Bad wishful thinking) but the level in the reservoir was between Low and Full. I topped off the coolant to full. After my next start, the code was gone. I have the Hybrid Assistant app and was watching the temperatures and they stayed normal ~185. About a week later the P261B code came back and would stay a day and then disappear again. So I guess it was slowly failing and working intermittently. I ordered the parts a week before Christmas, but they said they would only arrive after the new year. I chose to order online to save some $ over the local dealer and I did not want non-OEM parts. Finally, one day the code was on and I was on the highway and I saw the temperature go above 200. I slowed down and turned on the heater to max but It only blew ice cold. I should say I am in south Florida and the temp has been hovering around 65 so I haven't had to use heat. This proved that the water pump wasn't pumping. I turned off the car and then back on and the heat started blowing hot indicating the pump was working so I felt it was safe to limp home.(Just a short distance of 45mph on the highway while watching the temp) The parts came the next day.
The part numbers are 161A0-29015 for the water pump and 16031-37010 for the Thermostat valve. Totaling ~$330 and the permanent code cleared itself.
Replacing the parts was easy with the right sockets and extensions and took me about 3 hours from start to finish. This includes the time to watch a youtube video on how to do it. I don't think I caused any damage by driving it during this time, but if you see me asking about fixing a blown head gasket or replacing the engine in the future then I guess you'll know why.
Happy New Year!
Dan