Price Of Starter?

What would the average cost be of installing a new starter be on a '97 sl2?
I assume that generally they are replaced with rebuilt starters.

Thank-you

George wrote:
> What would the average cost be of installing a new starter be on a '97 sl2?
> I assume that generally they are replaced with rebuilt starters.
>
> Thank-you
>

Will you do it yourself or have it done? My advice is don't try to save
money as it will only cost you more. Here's what I mean:

Cheap "rebuilt" starter from China with a lifetime warranty. $
Good Saturn starter from a junk yard <75K miles, 30 day warranty: $
Truly rebuilt starter with a 12 month warranty. $$-$$$
New starter with a 12 month warranty. $$$$

Likelihood that cheap starter from China will fail within the first 3
months: 90%
Likelihood junk yard starter will fail within the first 3 months: 1%
Likelihood that new/rebuilt starter will fail within the first 3 months: <1%

Service life of cheap starter from China: 2 years
Service life of junk yard starter: ~5 years
Service life of new/rebuilt starter: 7-10 years

Same applies for alternators.

IMO the lifetime warranty on the cheap Chinese part is worthless because
when it fails you are likely (I hope) to replace it with a different
(better) unit.

A junk yard starter is not a bad choice if you car has a lot of miles on
it. The starter should be good for ~150K miles. My Dodge Stratus 2.5L V6
has 140K miles on the original starter. Look for one off an engine that
had < 75K miles.

Another option is to have your starter rebuilt. This is my preference,
but then I'm an old fart that was once a certified mechanic. It will
probably cost more than a junk yard starter but it should last as long
as the original. Some shops will also remove and reinstall it. Typically
the solenoid, brushes and bushings are all that need to be replaced. The
armature and pinion gear should be good to 300K miles.

--
Gyz

If a man is speaking in the middle of the forest and there is no woman
around to hear him, is he still wrong?