I have had good Bosch starters with a bad solenoid. Loose positive post, as you describe.
Reman is fine! Go with Bosch.
Valeo came out of my 2010 I bought at 74k over 200k now so pretty sure that was OEM. The starter was also a Valeo.
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.
You'll need to replace the starter motor to repair the car, they're about $120 on [rockauto for a remanufactured Bosch unit]
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.
I opted for the Bosch reman for $120 from NAPA a couple years ago. Still very strong.
I took the starter out, it looked OK. Removing the solenoid connector was really difficult since the plastic piece that you push to disengage it had disintegrated with time/heat. No 12V on the solenoid terminal when I pressed start.
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?
Definitely get that starter -- even the OEM new Bosch ones suck
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If choosing starter motor across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare starter motor across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, starter motor Bosch were overall better than VALEO.
In March 2026 on PartReview, starter motor Bosch were overall more popular than VALEO.
By vote balance, starter motor Bosch surpassed VALEO:
By number of reviews, starter motor Bosch surpassed VALEO:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, starter motor Bosch led more car-specific ratings than VALEO:
Bosch are chosen by owners of cars such as: Volkswagen Passat, and others.
Starter motor VALEO have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of starter motor Bosch with: Denso, OEM Honda, Duralast, OEM FORD, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Toyota, OEM Subaru, AC DELCO.
Also available: comparisons of starter motor VALEO with: Denso, OEM Honda, Duralast, OEM FORD, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Toyota, OEM Subaru, AC DELCO.
You can also see who is better among other starter motor manufacturers: Denso or Bosch, Bosch or OEM Honda, Denso or OEM Honda, Bosch or Duralast, Bosch or OEM FORD.
