The starter motor replacement price is dependent on the make and model of your car, but you can expect to fork out around $350 to $1,000 depending on make on model of the vehicle to get it sorted.
A brand-new starter can range from $80 to over $350. For a qualified mechanic to replace or rebuild your starter, you can expect to pay between $150 and over $1,100. These estimates vary dramatically depending on the particular issue and the make, model, and year of your vehicle.
A brand new starter could cost you around $50 – $350, while labor costs from a qualified mechanic could range between $150 – $1,100. In total, replacing a bad starter motor could amount to between $200 – $1450. However, these figures could be lower if you're able to identify car starter issues early.
Luckily, replacing a starter is not a difficult task. In most cases, it's a fairly simple process that anyone with basic car knowledge can do.
The starter is a small motor, powered by the battery. It gets the engine of your car running. A starter relay sits between the battery and the starter motor, transmitting power. Without a properly working starter relay and motor, you won't be able to start your vehicle and may need a tow.
Average car starter lifespan
A car starter can give you around 80,000 starts before you should expect it to struggle, regardless of the mileage you drive. This is around 150,000 miles for some cars, while some starters can last the vehicle's life.
A car's engine won't start if you jump-start it with a damaged starter motor. Jump-starting just increases the power of the battery. An auto transmission automobile cannot be pushed or towed started. However, a manual transmission car with a broken starter may.
Starters do wear out or fail over time. However, they usually have several warning signs that they're on the way out, and mechanics may ask you about them if you take your vehicle into an auto repair shop. Your answers will help them diagnose the problem.
Unfortunately, if the starter motor has completely gone there's no way to get your car going again. However, when a vehicle doesn't start, it's typically to do with the battery's insufficient voltage to start the motor.
So can a bad starter drain your battery? The short answer is: Yes, it can. It could also drain the battery even faster if you repeatedly try to start your car with a faulty starter. A faulty starter is also one of the leading causes of battery overcharging.
The good news is that the starter should not have to be replaced very often, if at all. It was designed to be used repeatedly under a variety of weather and road conditions. You should be able to count on the starter lasting at least 100,000 miles, if not for the entire life of the car.
Exactly how long it takes to replace a starter will depend on where it is in your engine, but it will generally take around 2 to 4 hours. Some starters are more accessible in some engines than in others. A mechanic may have to dig around and remove certain parts to get to that starter.
Normal wear and tear from extended exposure to higher temperatures can also cause the starter to go bad. Over time, the flywheel and pinion gear's teeth wear out, causing them not to interlock properly, and this causes the flywheel not to rotate. Often, this causes the whirring sound you hear when starting your car.
Replacing a starter motor is usually a straightforward but inconvenience job. Here's how it's done.
Remote starters are good for your engine because they warm up the engine before driving. In cold weather, the oil inside your car thickens. Warming the engine increases the oils' viscosity so it circulates properly. Thus, preheating your engine extends the life of your drivetrain.
CAUSES OF FAULTY STARTERS: CAUSE OF FAILURE
Electrical connections faulty. Solenoid switch (engaging relay) stiff or faulty. Electric motor damaged electrically. Single-pinion gear, starter pinion or freewheel damaged.
In most cases when a starter goes bad, it's completely random with no warning signs or symptoms of mechanical failure.
On average, you can plan to get about 100,000 miles to 150,000 miles out of your car, truck, utility vehicle's starter. This is the average lifespan of the part. C&C Automotive advises that you might get one or more signs that your starter is going bad before it actually dies.
It might be a battery or alternator problem.
Perhaps your battery's dead, or your alternator, which charges the battery, isn't working correctly. If the source of the clicking is electrical, the starter (a small motor energized by the battery that gets the engine running) doesn't have enough juice to stay powered.
In theory, it's possible that your original starter will last for most of the vehicle's life, but there's really no set lifespan. They can fail at almost any point. The primary culprit of early starter failure is user error – holding the key in the start position for too long actually creates dead spots on the starter.
Because starters are designed to last for at least 100,000 miles, and possibly the lifetime of a car, head straight to your auto shop to have your car battery and alternator checked out. Many times they are the cause of your starting problems.
The most common sign of a failed starter is a clicking noise. If you turn the key but get this, it is definitely your starter that has the problem. Lights on the dashboard that illuminate without a start show that the car has power, so it is likely to be a starter and not a battery problem.
If nothing gets your engine started, even a jump start, it is likely that the problem is with your starter. If this is the case, you likely need to go ahead and call a tow truck to get your car to a mechanic, unless you're comfortable replacing your own starter.