I'm trying to find a rebuilt starter for my 94 Saturn. Every store I've gone to has these pieces of garbage with motors that are 2/3 the size of my old one and look like tin cans with a squirrel cage motor instead of the rolled steel body of the Delco. What the h**l is going on? Pep Boys version even had MADE IN FRANCE cast int the body. Is it impossible to get an exact match any more?
Larry
No. Stop going to auto parts stores and chain stores and go directly to one of the rebuilders. Look in the yellow pages under "alternators and starters." You'll have someone locally who will sell you a rebuild or do a rebuild of your existing starter if you can wait a couple days.
--scott
Absolutely the best way to go
I pay $90 to $135 for most and it is worth every penny. In some cases your screwed after the core is returned...
Has NAPA also gone to pot? A year ago, I decided to pay $50 more for a NAPA rebuilt alternator rather than a lifetime-warranted one from Pep Boys, AutoZone, or Checker/Shuck's/Kragen. BTW, I was once at AutoZone at 10 PM, and two people ahead of me in line were returning lifetime-warranted alternators that were only a few months old.
BTDT. I bought a reman starter for one of my VWs once and one of the faston terminals for the starter solenoid busted right off when I went to connect the wiring harness to it. Parts store said "screw you, buddy." I can't remember today what parts store it was but it is one that I don't have around here (this is when I was living in MI years ago) thus no fear of my ever going back there. Not that I would anyway; that was an expensive lesson as I had to buy a whole 'nother starter from another store.
nate
"larry moe 'n curly" wrote in news:d058f7f8- snipped-for-privacy@y1g2000pra.googlegroups.com:
As far as I'm concerned, yes. I went through three NAPA remanned alternators on my Integra a few years ago.
One was a dud right out of the box. The other two lasted about 11 months each (I seem to remember the last one being much less than 11 months, but I'm not sure anymore). All were covered under warranty, but by then I had had it.
I went directly to my local Acura dealer and spent twice as much for a genuine Honda remanned alternator. That one is now two years old and working just fine. It also came with all the little plastic clips on the back, which the NAPA ones didn't.
No more aftermarket electrical parts for me, sorry.
Upon more reflection the reason that I bought the reman was because the starter in the car had a busted ear and my local U-Pull-It had nothing in stock for me.
Today I would probably get on eBay and try to find a core there rather than go through my FLAPS for a reman.
nate
If you have a local starter/alternator shop, it is wise to get to know them.. I have had very good luck with them, much less at the cheaper FLAPS.
No one has mentioned an OEM reman Starter. So I guess I'll jsut say I've only had three starters on my Bonneville. The original worked from Feb
2, 1991 till Feb 6,1998, 135,953 miles.Starter # 2 worked from Feb 6, 1998 to January 7, 2005 , 162,000 miles. (@297,562)
Starter # 3 presently working fine.
FYI- The Alternator / Starter rebuilders we've delt with in the Chicago area have all been bad experiences.
I did one Auto PArts store lifetime warranty Alternator and that one lasted under two years and it ruined my battery. Returned it, I think I got a refund or partial refund, then bought a GM replacement at Chevy.
The GM Reman OEM alternator will be 9 years old in August- it was put on in 2000 @184,470 miles.
harryface
91 Bonneville 316,406 05 Park Avenue 81,129
Depends.. I have tried OEM new, on some applications, with not so sparkling results. This means, to me,that the OEM was a POS in the first place.
I have rebuilt some myself... Same results.. If the basic design is a POS, there is little you can do.
SOMETIMES, you can retrofit a different unit, but this is getting to be a little rare.
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