GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

My Vibe, at 174k miles, is starting to occasionally make the buzzing noise in the starter, suggesting that it's not retracting fast enough, depending on conditions.

I'll probably order a decent one from Rockauto, but I wondered if anyone here had any experience with the cheap Chinese ones being sold on E-Bay? I wouldn't want one as a "I'm going to depend that this will keep working for years" starter, but I was thinking that for the price ($36, shipped), it might be worth keeping on the shelf as a "My starter just crapped out, and I need to use my car in an hour" unit.

I won't bother with a link to one, because this could sit for a while, but here's a quick search link on ebay for them.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... 2&_udhi=38

I have no experience with eBay starters. For that price, it really wouldn't be bad to hold onto even if you used it for the core swap or something.

If you don't plan on keeping the car until it crashes/flips/burns and mysteriously dives off a cliff, then get any starter. If you plan on keeping the car until it crashes/flips/burns and mysteriously dives off a cliff, then consider getting one installed at Pep Boys for instance, where you can get a lifetime warranty in case it ever fails again. I chose Pep Boys to install my Honda Fit's starter since it was a total bear getting to it, and because I've already got the cliff picked out when the time comes.

I've already got the cliff picked out when the time comes

Nothing will catch caretaker off guard.........ever!

Caretaker wrote: ↑Thu Jul 25, 2019 12:08 pm If you don't plan on keeping the car until it crashes/flips/burns and mysteriously dives off a cliff, then get any starter. If you plan on keeping the car until it crashes/flips/burns and mysteriously dives off a cliff, then consider getting one installed at Pep Boys for instance, where you can get a lifetime warranty in case it ever fails again. I chose Pep Boys to install my Honda Fit's starter since it was a total bear getting to it, and because I've already got the cliff picked out when the time comes.

I won't use Pep Boys to change my oil, let alone change a part on my car. Family experience is that they'll invent a HUGE list of "This HAS to be done to the car immediately!" repairs. Despite the fact that they were talking to a mechanical engineer who did most of the repairs on the vehicle in question.

I've never released a car yet that I hadn't put past the moon So I'll be doing a good starter for the real replacement. It's just that when they go, they tend to go suddenly, and you're screwed. That's why I was asking if anyone had any experience with the cheapies.

I'm not sure what a cheapie is. Aren't they all remanufactured from plants in China anyway despite the name stamped on the box? No one is telling you to go to Pep Boys. It was simply an example of a place to go and get a lifetime warranty on a part which is likely to crap out if you keep your car forever. In the case of the Fit, getting the bolt out takes an act of congress. I sure as heck wouldn't put one in myself or at a shop that didn't offer a lifetime warranty since I know the trouble of getting one out and back in.

Caretaker wrote: ↑Thu Jul 25, 2019 4:02 pm I'm not sure what a cheapie is. Aren't they all remanufactured from plants in China anyway despite the name stamped on the box? No one is telling you to go to Pep Boys. It was simply an example of a place to go and get a lifetime warranty on a part which is likely to crap out if you keep your car forever. In the case of the Fit, getting the bolt out takes an act of congress. I sure as heck wouldn't put one in myself or at a shop that didn't offer a lifetime warranty since I know the trouble of getting one out and back in.

I know nothing about the Fit, so I can't naysay you there. My previous vehicle's starter was a lifetime warranty at Autozone, and replaced once under that warranty.

I'm in IT, and self employed, so when I see the lifetime warranty stuff, I look at the _other_ costs - such as the time spent taking it to the shop, waiting for it, and so forth. That's why most of my customers would rather I just buy a new hard drive and replace it, getting them back up and running fast, rather than calling Dell (or a store), and having it done under warranty. One day down vs three or more days down.

I think that some are still (mostly) made in the US. The electronics aren't, simply because there aren't any more full scale fabrication facilities left in the US for electronic components. (Well, Intel, but they don't make capacitors, resistors, etc)

I've looked at most of the options for starters and have decided I will go with a reman. Denso unit. I know there are many "new" Chinese starters for about 1/2 the cost. If you think you want to go "new" then the TYC seems to be the one to select. Still, I will be going Denso.

As of 180k miles, my original starter continues to work fine and if it makes it to 200k I'll plan to replace it then regardless.

i was looking at the TYC, yes. The chinese would be a shelf spare.

Jbenrod wrote: ↑Fri Jul 26, 2019 10:10 am I've looked at most of the options for starters and have decided I will go with a reman. Denso unit. I know there are many "new" Chinese starters for about 1/2 the cost. If you think you want to go "new" then the TYC seems to be the one to select. Still, I will be going Denso.

As of 180k miles, my original starter continues to work fine and if it makes it to 200k I'll plan to replace it then regardless.

I would go Denso as well. Over the last couple of years I have learned it is important to buy quality if it is a critical part OR difficult to access. I have gone through 3 carquest alternators ( Advance Auto ) in past 2 years. I just got frustrated and just bought a Denso Reman unit on Amazon for $150....On the other hand i got really lucky with a Advance Auto replacement starter and it lasted 7 YEARS. I kept the receipt and received a free replacement 1 year ago. With the cheapies its a hit or miss. If its your primary vehicle ( like mine ) OR you are planning to drive the Vibe till it dies...buy closest to OEM as possible. I just had a coil pack go bad and I HAD to buy a Advance Auto replacement to get back on the road, but I do have 4 Toyota/Denso replacements on the way. Im not playing anymore I bought a ebay driver side control arm 3 years ago, and wasnt a fun install. Guess what ? Ended buying a Moog replacement and and to do it ALL OVER again. Buy quality if its critical OR difficult to install !!!!!!

My experience with starters (Gulf Coast, so rarely snow and road salt) is that the brand doesn't really matter much. What kills them is if water or salt gets into the units. So, my first starter in my first Vibe lasted about 200k miles or so. The replacement lasted until about two months after I had to go through some flood waters. (nothing else on the car had a problem). The warranty swap on that one lasted until I passed it along to someone else, and I believe it's still fine.

I prefer to use a _new_ starter if I can afford it, simply because of likely better components (seals, mostly), and it should last a while longer. As I'm at 175k miles, it's about time for the replacement, and it'll probably last until I decide it's not worth continuing to repair. (I may start looking for another vibe to pick up and start refurbishing slowly, while they're still available with reasonable amounts of miles)

So, I was looking at TYC because I know they do some of the OEM for Toyota, and the Rockauto price wasn't much different from a remanufactured unit.

Coil packs? I replaced two coils with Autozone coils - one failed after another four years. Oh darn, horrible quality, yes? Replaced under warranty. I wouldn't trust the low-ball priced ones for anything other than emergency spares.

Anyway - so nobody here has actually had one of the sub-$40 starters. That's what I needed to know. Now I just need to make the decision on whether or not to get one for spare stock. (It was nice when my family had two Festivas and I had a Mazda 323. Almost all of the base parts were the same, so it was reasonable to keep some spares on-hand as a just in case. )