vs
Starter motor VALEO or OEM Subaru
Reviews
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
Subaru dealer tech in Australia, here we're having lots of starter motors failure going on.
Your vehicle being a 2020 on a factory battery means the 12v battery is nearing the end of it's service life, also that means your car has an available PAK file update for the TCM module that allows extra time for engine restart.
Pros: PAK file update available
Cons: starter motors failure
Vehicle:
Subaru Forester
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
Weird starter issue with a fair amount of 22s
Cons: weird starter issue
Vehicle:
Subaru
Im going on my third now at 114K Km last time i replace was before going camping 2021 now december 2024 have to replace again
Cons: multiple replacements, frequent failure
Vehicle:
Subaru
Mileage: 114000 km
We had problems with the auto on/off (not starting; laborious starting). We got a new starter and fuel injector installed.
Cons: laborious starting
Vehicle:
Subaru Forester
My buddy has gone through 3 starters on his crosstrek, all under warranty, because of the auto stop.
Cons: gone through 3 starters
Vehicle:
Subaru
My CPO Base Impreza 2019, with 26k miles, wouldn’t start. The starter motor failed and that part is out of warranty. I was just pissed because I had the car for less than 2 years.
Cons: premature failure, out of warranty
Vehicle:
Subaru Impreza
Mileage: 41843 km
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Which starter motor to choose — VALEO or OEM Subaru?
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 — OEM Subaru or VALEO?
In March 2026 on PartReview, starter motor VALEO were overall better than OEM Subaru.
- VALEO received a PR Score of 78 out of 100, and OEM Subaru scored 32 points.
- VALEO ranked 7 in the overall ranking, and OEM Subaru ranked 9.
- The average rating is higher for VALEO (4) than for OEM Subaru (2.3).
-
Starter motor VALEO have better feature ratings than OEM Subaru:
- Cranking - owners believe, that this property for VALEO is better than OEM Subaru.
- Multiple attempts - drivers claim, that this property for OEM Subaru is outperforms VALEO.
- Sounds - reviews suggest, that this property for OEM Subaru is preferred to VALEO.
Which starter motor are more popular — VALEO or OEM Subaru?
Starter motor VALEO and OEM Subaru were equally popular according to data in March 2026.
By vote balance, starter motor VALEO surpassed OEM Subaru:
- For VALEO, the ratio of positive (29) to negative (8) votes is 21 vote.
- For OEM Subaru, the ratio of positive (14) to negative (29) votes is -15 votes.
By number of reviews, starter motor OEM Subaru surpassed VALEO:
- For starter motor VALEO there are 12 reviews: 9 positive, 1 neutral, 2 negative.
- For starter motor OEM Subaru there are 14 reviews: 4 positive, 1 neutral, 9 negative.
Which starter motor do car owners prefer — VALEO or OEM Subaru?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, starter motor VALEO and OEM Subaru 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, Duralast, OEM FORD, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Toyota, AC DELCO.
Also available: comparisons of starter motor OEM Subaru with: Bosch, Denso, OEM Honda, Duralast, OEM FORD, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Toyota, 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.