I have had good Bosch starters with a bad solenoid. Loose positive post, as you describe.
Pros: good starter, easy to remove
Cons: bad solenoid, loose post
Vehicle:
Volkswagen
Reviews of Bosch starter motor
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Reman is fine! Go with Bosch.
Pros: Reman is fine
Part number: SR61X
greetings 72 bug with rarely used new bosch starter/solenoid(play car not daily drive) walmart battery just went out of warranty and battery tester shows about 76% health. turn the key and i get clunk from starter. after about 15 clunks it will fire up. if i top off battery with charger it will fire up every time. about hour later it is back to clunk clunk clunk, vroom. digital cig socket voltmeter shows mostly about 14v down the road depending on speed. 'smart charger' says cell fault but battery checker says recharge. new battery needed?
Cons: clunk from starter
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Beetle
Replacing the original 25 year old starter (!!) with a remanufactured Bosch part, which seems identical to the original. I am hoping to solve the intermittent no-start issue I’ve been having lately (single click when turning key). Overall the job was fairly straightforward with no major issues.
Pros: fairly straightforward job
Cons: intermittent no-start issue
Vehicle:
BMW
You'll need to replace the starter motor to repair the car, they're about $120 on [rockauto for a remanufactured Bosch unit]
Pros: remanufactured unit available
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat
The exact same starter from Bosch (original manufacturer for Volvo) which is what a shop would sell you because it’s the OE for Volvo is 216.99.
Pros: OE for Volvo
Vehicle:
Volvo
Part number: 36003222
I opted for the Bosch reman for $120 from NAPA a couple years ago. Still very strong.
Pros: still very strong
I replaced the starter in my '09 with a reman Bosch back in '20. Been flawless ever since, can't say enough good things about mine.
Pros: flawless performance since replacement
Vehicle:
Honda Fit
I literally just did this job on my mom’s 08 528xi last weekend. I used a NEW Bosch starter (I specifically avoided remanufactured).
Pros: new starter, good quality
Vehicle:
BMW
For me it was the starter. It was replaced a few years prior at a local mechanic and I don't know what brand they used. I got the part numbers and bought a Bosch equivalent from fcp for less than 300.\n\nI dont know exactly why and neither do the mechanics that wanted an answer if I found one. The old starter spun fast enough to start injection. Maybe just not enough power to get it past the initial revolution after firing. All I know is its been close to year and hasn't done it once since I replaced the starter. It now starts first time everytime.
Pros: starts first time everytime
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What we know about Bosch starter motor
The brand is registered in Germany.
In March 2026, PartReview users have a mixed opinion of Bosch starter motor.
PR Score — 75 out of 100, based on 79 reviews and 245 votes. 56 positive reviews, 8 neutral reviews, 15 negative reviews. Average rating — 3.9 (out of 5). Vote balance: 184 up, 61 down.
In the ranking of the best starter motor this part is at position 2, behind Denso , but ahead of OEM Honda and OEM Toyota.
Users also evaluated the qualities of Bosch starter motor:
- Cranking - no crank or very slow cranking - rated positively. 3.5 points out of 5.
- Sounds - clicks, squeal, or grinding during start attempt - rated ambivalently. 2.6 points out of 5.
- Multiple attempts - engine only catches after several tries - rated positively. 4 points out of 5.
Starter motor Bosch in car-specific ratings
See which car brands and models owners choose Bosch starter motor for. Below are car-specific ratings where this part is in the Top-3:
- Bosch ranked #1 in starter motor ratings for: Volkswagen Passat .
- Bosch ranked #3 for: Honda Accord, Honda Civic .
Starter motor Bosch in comparisons
There are 9 comparisons of Bosch starter motor with other manufacturers on PartReview.
In particular, see which starter motor are better: Bosch or AC DELCO, Bosch or VALEO, Bosch or Duralast, Bosch or OEM Volkswagen, Bosch or OEM Subaru .