Good prices for starter motors

DIYspanner · 17 Oct 2016

I've been looking at starter motor prices for a Bora TDI.

Its sluggish on cold start so may need to replace it.

This is a damn good price

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-GOLF-M...l:Bora&hash=item1e91914f9f:g:vV4AAOSw2XFUkrMI

Nozzle · 17 Oct 2016

Is it genuine? I don't know the going price for such a motor, but if the price is too good to be true there's usually a good reason for it. You could compare with Euro Car Parts and your local motor factor.

Nozzle

DIYspanner · 17 Oct 2016

Could be they've just them taken of a car, tested and cleaned the outside.

freddiemercurystwin · 17 Oct 2016

I've had little bad experience buying used car parts off eBay provided the feedback is good and longstanding.

DaveHerns · 17 Oct 2016

How much parts and labour are you going to get for that price? Probably a wash and lick of paint

Burnerman · 17 Oct 2016

I'd go local ......goodness knows how much 'remanufacturing' has taken place at that price, not to mention problems if you need a warranty claim.
My own factors will send in my own unit if I can be without it for a day or so.
John

DIYspanner · 18 Oct 2016

I've asked the seller about the extent of the refurb, they reckon

"The starter motor is stripped apart, cleaned, and all wearable components are replaced."

Surely the labour cost alone is more than the selling price ?

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...3ABora&hash=item1e91914f9f:g:vV4AAOSw2XFUkrMI

Dave54 · 18 Oct 2016

I think I'd chance it if they say that it's been stripeed etc. The solenoid looks like new connections? They give you a test certificate with it as well to say it's within spec.
Last time I had a starter refurbed was for my old Passat about 10 years back. An excellent local factor refurbed it in their own workshops. It was around £70 IIRC.

JohnD · 18 Oct 2016

DIYspanner said:
wearable components are replaced."

Surely this means they have just pressed out the old bearings and pressed in new ones, and changed the brushes if out of spec?

If they are working on standardised batches of motors, this could be a very quick job. I would guess that 94% of cars in Europe have Bosch components.

Apart from that, buzzing it in the degreasing tank, and maybe a touch of paint (bead blasting if you want it to look new) is all they need.

Starter motors are not very complex.

For countries that are still in the EU, there are plenty of redundant workshops and factories, and unemployed factory workers, to be found in the East, with no import/export restrictions. There are probably redevelopment and retraining grants available (UK usually chooses not to accept them). An old washing-machine or machine-gun factory could easily do it.

Burnerman · 18 Oct 2016

Personally I'd want new brushes and a solenoid, at the very least - starters aren't usually that easy to access so I wouldn't want the job twice. Bushes and the drive pinion would only get a glance I think.
John

Dave54 · 18 Oct 2016

I agree John. The one in question(and it says actual unit) does look like a new solenoid I thought.
Maybe I'm imagining things, but I seem to remember an article in a long ago car mag about "recon" starters and alternators.
The results were IIRC that an awful lot of recons were little more than a paint job and liable to fail in a short time.
Having said that I don't think I've had any problems with recon auto electrical stuff, but I've only really used them on my own vehicles so I've never used that many.

Good prices for starter motors

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