vs
Starter motor VALEO or Duralast
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.
Pros: OEM part, long lasting
Mileage: 200000 km
Starter motor finally gave out when south Florida got hit with the cold spike a few days ago and may have upset the starter motor, of all things. Battery was great, reading 12.3- 12.5 volts. Surprisingly, autozone packs a brand new (debatable) Valeo starter motor for $220 (including shipping and taxes), which is a BMW OEM supplier. Just missing the torx that mounts the starter motor that I will need to grab in my shop and then will swap. Thought I’d share this, since autozone gets a mixed rep for parts for BMWs in the BMW community. iv gotten my alternator and starter from them. 2 months after alternator install and it still works like OEM equivalent. It’s worth checking them out.
Pros: works like OEM equivalent
Cons: missing torx
Starter motor finally gave out when south Florida got hit with the cold spike a few days ago and may have upset the starter motor, of all things. Battery was great, reading 12.3- 12.5 volts. Surprisingly, autozone packs a brand new (debatable) Valeo starter motor for $220 (including shipping and taxes), which is a BMW OEM supplier. Just missing the torx that mounts the starter motor that I will need to grab in my shop and then will swap. Thought I’d share this, since autozone gets a mixed rep for parts for BMWs in the BMW community. iv gotten my alternator and starter from them. 2 months after alternator install and it still works like OEM equivalent. It’s worth checking them out.
Pros: works like OEM equivalent
Vehicle:
BMW
The starter on my 12' began going out so I go a Duralast reman. for about $160 at AutoZone. There's a few helpful vids on YouTube, and it's not too bad of a job. It took me about 90 minutes and you might want to have some socket extensions and maybe a wobble joint. Overall pretty doable for a busy dad with young kids on a Sunday.
Pros: doable job, helpful videos
I replaced with a Duralast Gold starter and it's been running fine for nine years. Of course who knows what you're getting now in 2025, but the aftermarket one from 2016 has done great.
Pros: running fine, great performance
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.
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat B7
Mileage: 220000 km
I got a reman. Auto Zone Duralast starter in Aug 2021, and then had to replace that with another reman. Duralast starting in Nov 2022, and now I need another one.
Cons: repeated failures, short lifespan
Since installing #19590, I’ve been hearing a slight grinding noise on startup — sometimes it sounds worse than other times, but definitely not right.
Cons: slight grinding noise
Vehicle:
Acura TLX
Part number: 19590
I got a replacement Duralast 17341 for a Hyundai Accent 2011 GL, and it was grinding like crazy. Really worried me.
Pros: replacement part
Cons: grinding, defective
Vehicle:
Hyundai Accent
Part number: 17341
My experience with Duralast starters have been horrible. They sell them with a 'lifetime guarantee', which means that every time they fail once a year or so, you have the pleasure of crawling under the car and switching it out for another one that is going to eventually fail!
Pros: lifetime guarantee
Cons: fails once a year
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Which starter motor to choose — VALEO or Duralast?
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:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which starter motor are better — Duralast or VALEO?
In March 2026 on PartReview, starter motor VALEO were overall better than Duralast.
- VALEO received a PR Score of 78 out of 100, and Duralast scored 48 points.
- VALEO ranked 7 in the overall ranking, and Duralast ranked 8.
- The average rating is higher for VALEO (4) than for Duralast (2.8).
-
Starter motor VALEO have better feature ratings than Duralast:
- Cranking - owners believe, that this property for Duralast is better than VALEO.
- Sounds - drivers claim, that this property for Duralast is outperforms VALEO.
- Multiple attempts - reviews suggest, that this property for Duralast is preferred to VALEO.
Which starter motor are more popular — VALEO or Duralast?
Starter motor VALEO and Duralast were equally popular according to data in March 2026.
By vote balance, starter motor VALEO surpassed Duralast:
- For VALEO, the ratio of positive (29) to negative (8) votes is 21 vote.
- For Duralast, the ratio of positive (40) to negative (43) votes is -3 votes.
By number of reviews, starter motor Duralast surpassed VALEO:
- For starter motor VALEO there are 12 reviews: 9 positive, 1 neutral, 2 negative.
- For starter motor Duralast there are 27 reviews: 12 positive, 2 neutral, 13 negative.
Which starter motor do car owners prefer — VALEO or Duralast?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, starter motor VALEO and Duralast have not taken top places in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding your review about these manufacturers.
Other comparisons of starter motor
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of starter motor VALEO with: Bosch, Denso, OEM Honda, OEM FORD, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Toyota, OEM Subaru, AC DELCO.
Also available: comparisons of starter motor Duralast with: Bosch, Denso, OEM Honda, 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.