vs
Starter motor VALEO or OEM Volkswagen
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
Burro a veces se pone pesado (recomiendo cambiar por nuevo valeo de 11 dientes que anda mas liviano y no jode mas)
Pros: anda mas liviano
Cons: se pone pesado
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Fox
pegue o modelo atualizado da valeo, acho que é com mais dentes, é um problema crônico mesmo, já troquei quando tinha um polo.
Pros: modelo atualizado, resolve problema crônico
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Polo
Am fost inclusiv la reprezentanta. Mi-au recomandat s\u0103 schimb electromotorul. Schimbat, pus Valeo.
Pros: electromotor nou, schimbat recent
Vehicle:
Volvo V40
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
Mine has done this on my '23 Arteon a couple of times. Mine has even went so far as not wanting to start with the start button! Acted like the starter was dead.
Cons: starter acted dead
Vehicle:
Volkswagen
At this point I figured the starter was just busted. I had one overnighted and installed it the next day to no avail.
Cons: did not fix issue
Vehicle:
Volkswagen
Valeos are fine until the magnets fail, and they will.
Cons: magnets fail
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Which starter motor to choose — VALEO or OEM Volkswagen?
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 Volkswagen or VALEO?
In March 2026 on PartReview, starter motor OEM Volkswagen were overall better than VALEO.
- VALEO received a PR Score of 78 out of 100, and OEM Volkswagen scored 73 points.
- VALEO ranked 7 in the overall ranking, and OEM Volkswagen ranked 5.
- The average rating is higher for VALEO (4) than for OEM Volkswagen (3.8).
-
Starter motor VALEO have better feature ratings than OEM Volkswagen:
- Cranking - owners believe, that this property for OEM Volkswagen is better than VALEO.
- Multiple attempts - drivers claim, that this property for OEM Volkswagen is outperforms VALEO.
- Sounds - reviews suggest, that this property for OEM Volkswagen is preferred to VALEO.
Which starter motor are more popular — VALEO or OEM Volkswagen?
In March 2026 on PartReview, starter motor OEM Volkswagen were overall more popular than VALEO.
By vote balance, starter motor OEM Volkswagen surpassed VALEO:
- For VALEO, the ratio of positive (29) to negative (8) votes is 21 vote.
- For OEM Volkswagen, the ratio of positive (56) to negative (20) votes is 36 votes.
By number of reviews, starter motor OEM Volkswagen surpassed VALEO:
- For starter motor VALEO there are 12 reviews: 9 positive, 1 neutral, 2 negative.
- For starter motor OEM Volkswagen there are 25 reviews: 18 positive, 1 neutral, 6 negative.
Which starter motor do car owners prefer — VALEO or OEM Volkswagen?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, starter motor VALEO and OEM Volkswagen 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 Toyota, OEM Subaru, AC DELCO.
Also available: comparisons of starter motor OEM Volkswagen with: Bosch, Denso, OEM Honda, Duralast, OEM FORD, 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.