Is it necessary to replace a air pump on a 2001 Oldsmobile Intrigue?

My air pump went in my 2002 olds intrigue at around 40,000 Klm and was not covered. So I looked into it and found out that it was not necessary to replace. Infact a GM mechanic told me that it was not needed at all on the v6 3.5 because it already runs very clean. Anyway long story short, I now have 330,000 Klm and no probs. I turn off the engine light from time to time and check for new engine fault codes with my OBDII reader. p.s. never failed an emissions test either.