My almost stock winter beater has had minimal issues minus exhaust and front end which goes just because the wear and tear. Replaced the original starter last year and alternator a couple weeks ago.
Always try to get quality brands like Bosch. They always seem to last forever and they replace anything that is worn internally too so you can almost guarantee it will last.
I ran the smaller mk3 starter for many years, and it was fine, but now that I have a new-to-me car with the original starter still in it- I prefer that one. It never bogs down, seems to have more torque.
New starter (Bosch) (Late 2017)
I installed a 02J VR6 starter after cleaning up and regreasing the the bendix and solenoid. Testing of the starter:
some starters may have a resistor bypass connection.. that when the solenoid plunger is pulled in.. the R terminal is connected to cranking battery power.. this wire is hooked to the coil positive.. where the other wire to the coil positive comes thru a resistor.. this allows the coil to get higher voltage while cranking.
So for those who want to know a mk4 tdi manual starter does fit in a mk4 1.8t manual car! The starter is a bit longer so make sure you have clearance for it. It fit fine in my car but it's a mk2 so not sure if there is clearance issues in a mk4. I had to adjust my boost piping a bit to not hit the longer starter but, that's no big deal. Keep in mind this starter cranks like a mother ****er but, does require a strong battery in some cases more cranking amps. My car doesn't get driven much so the battery wasn't at it's full capacity so I charged it up and she cranked like hell!
The starter is a rebuilt BOSCH which I stated above.
I've already replaced the starter 2 time in the last 3 years, with a rebuilt Bosch starter. I don't think a rebuilt starter should go bad this fast. I put about 15,000 miles a year on the car. Even a chepo starter from the local parts store should last longer than that. So I'm done with Bosch.
In the process of rebuilding my starter too since the Bosch Reman I bought crapped out on me.
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