Honda OEM starter vs aftermarket???

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Originally Posted by 1foxracing
You might want to search your local area for a shop that rebuilds alternators and starters, use to be a real common thing but maybe they are all disappearing like all the old Mom and Pop chroming shops.


^ yeah, this is what I was thinking
 
I'll be the guy that has used the cheapest new starters off of amazon or ebay as long as the reviews were decent. I've had no problems and all are going strong and some were replaced years ago.
 
Originally Posted by nwjones18
I'll be the guy that has used the cheapest new starters off of amazon or ebay as long as the reviews were decent. I've had no problems and all are going strong and some were replaced years ago.

The issue with the K24 engine is the difficulty (cost) to swap a starter out.
You don't wanna do this twice.
I was reluctant to use a top of the line reman, but so far so good.
 
Originally Posted by Chris142
The AutoZone and O'Riley's ones are better than Napa's junk.

They are all "remanufactured" by BBB Industries or Remy in Mexico. Almost all the bits and pieces inside a chain store or even AC Delco non-GM OEM level reman come from WAI/Transpo from China.

In that case, the lifetime warranty on a Duralast or O'Reilly Optima Select is barely worth the trouble. Denso does their own remans, but only on their units. Supposedly, they rebuild them in Murrietta or Temecula, CA. Bosch also does their own remans but they both farm out non-Bosch/Denso units out to a 3rd party.
 
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Originally Posted by nthach
Originally Posted by Chris142
The AutoZone and O'Riley's ones are better than Napa's junk.

They are all "remanufactured" by BBB Industries or Remy in Mexico. Almost all the bits and pieces inside a chain store or even AC Delco non-GM OEM level reman come from WAI/Transpo from China.

In that case, the lifetime warranty on a Duralast or O'Reilly Optima Select is barely worth the trouble. Denso does their own remans, but only on their units. Supposedly, they rebuild them in Murrietta or Temecula, CA. Bosch also does their own remans but they both farm out non-Bosch/Denso units out to a 3rd party.

The Napa rebuild we get here were rebuilt in China.
 
It's about a 45 min job from the top. The intake manifold comes out without too much drama. You might be able to get away with reusing the metal gasket....my local dealer doesn't stock the gasket if it tells you anything.

I had one 2.4 where the starter bolt damaged some threads in the block during removal. Had to tap new threads.

So far I have only used Denso reman's and my experience is that 1 out of 4 have failed after 18 months.
 
Originally Posted by Chris142

The Napa rebuild we get here were rebuilt in China.

Something tells me that either Napa is sourcing new from TYC or some other Chinese company and collecting cores to sell to brokers or that BBB/Remy/WAI have a reman plant in China which doesn't make sense due to the e-waste restrictions they recently imposed along with steel/iron/aluminum tariffs.
 
Going to drop my one bit on Honda parts knowledge here. Friends of mine that work for Honda said that they are really picky about giving core credits. The parts returned must be OE Honda, or Honda reman parts. If they are from a parts house the dealer will not be given the credit from Honda.
 
Originally Posted by Gebo
Originally Posted by Char Baby
Originally Posted by Garyd
I agree, My Element has been one of the best cars I've ever owned. I posted this to find out if the OEM really is the best because I want to put the best starter in my Element so it will last at least another 12 years before I have to replace it again.


You may have just answered your own question.



I concur. You aren't gonna be happy with a non-OEM starter. You know me and Char Baby are telling the truth.
thumbsup2.gif



I would go with the OEM shop as they are making a statement as to the quality of their work. IMHO


That is what I am leaning to. I'm talking to 2 Honda only repair shops and one uses only Honda Genuine Parts, the other uses aftermarket that they claim are better than OEM. They said the starter they use is new (as opposed to a OEM Reman that a dealership would put in) and is made by a company called Blue Energy or New Energy. I can't find that anywhere on the web. The difference in price between the 2 is almost $200, ($695 vs $510).

If I didn't have this back issue, I would try taking it out myself from the bottom and take the starter to a good auto-electric guy I know and
have it rebuilt.
 
Originally Posted by Garyd
Gebo said:
Char Baby said:
Garyd said:
I The difference inIf I didn't have this back issue, I would try taking it out myself from the bottom and take the starter to a good auto-electric guy I know and
have it rebuilt.




There is seriously zero reason to take it out from the bottom. It is much easier to remove the manifold and do it from the top.

Removing the manifold is very straightforward.
 
Originally Posted by The Critic
It's about a 45 min job from the top. The intake manifold comes out without too much drama. You might be able to get away with reusing the metal gasket....my local dealer doesn't stock the gasket if it tells you anything.

I had one 2.4 where the starter bolt damaged some threads in the block during removal. Had to tap new threads.

So far I have only used Denso reman's and my experience is that 1 out of 4 have failed after 18 months.


The 2003-2006 Elements look like they would take about 45 minutes from the top but mine is a 2008. the 2007-2011 have this black metal resonator on the back of the intake manifold that needs to be taken off to get to the starter so not as easy. You have to either take out the front T bracket (which requires getting under the car which I can't do) and loosen the radiator to make enough room to get the manifold out or pull it aside or you have to blindly try to reach around the manifold to take off the bolts to take the resonator off which from a couple of videos on youtube looks pretty difficult. Getting it from underneath looks like the better option on the 2007-2011s.
 
Originally Posted by Garyd
Originally Posted by The Critic
It's about a 45 min job from the top. The intake manifold comes out without too much drama. You might be able to get away with reusing the metal gasket....my local dealer doesn't stock the gasket if it tells you anything.

I had one 2.4 where the starter bolt damaged some threads in the block during removal. Had to tap new threads.

So far I have only used Denso reman's and my experience is that 1 out of 4 have failed after 18 months.


The 2003-2006 Elements look like they would take about 45 minutes from the top but mine is a 2008. the 2007-2011 have this black metal resonator on the back of the intake manifold that needs to be taken off to get to the starter so not as easy. You have to either take out the front T bracket (which requires getting under the car which I can't do) and loosen the radiator to make enough room to get the manifold out or pull it aside or you have to blindly try to reach around the manifold to take off the bolts to take the resonator off which from a couple of videos on youtube looks pretty difficult. Getting it from underneath looks like the better option on the 2007-2011s.

All of mine have been Accords so I do not have experience with the black resonator. From the pictures, it looks possible to remove without going underneath but is a bit tricky.
 
Originally Posted by 1foxracing
You might want to search your local area for a shop that rebuilds alternators and starters, use to be a real common thing but maybe they are all disappearing like all the old Mom and Pop chroming shops.


There is a real good auto-electric guy near me that I would use if I could get the starter out myself. He charges only $75 to rebuild the starter!
 
Originally Posted by The Critic
Originally Posted by Garyd
Originally Posted by The Critic
It's about a 45 min job from the top. The intake manifold comes out without too much drama. You might be able to get away with reusing the metal gasket....my local dealer doesn't stock the gasket if it tells you anything.

I had one 2.4 where the starter bolt damaged some threads in the block during removal. Had to tap new threads.

So far I have only used Denso reman's and my experience is that 1 out of 4 have failed after 18 months.


The 2003-2006 Elements look like they would take about 45 minutes from the top but mine is a 2008. the 2007-2011 have this black metal resonator on the back of the intake manifold that needs to be taken off to get to the starter so not as easy. You have to either take out the front T bracket (which requires getting under the car which I can't do) and loosen the radiator to make enough room to get the manifold out or pull it aside or you have to blindly try to reach around the manifold to take off the bolts to take the resonator off which from a couple of videos on youtube looks pretty difficult. Getting it from underneath looks like the better option on the 2007-2011s.

All of mine have been Accords so I do not have experience with the black resonator. From the pictures, it looks possible to remove without going underneath but is a bit tricky.


Here are a couple of videos dealing with that black resonator:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz1KR-7RFkQ&t=465s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TZq6wyIXMk
 
you can do this job yourself if you have the proper tools. I helped my neighbor do this job with just simple hand tools. yoou need the right combo of extencions and ratchets. nothing else. we worked from below and above
 
I would use a Denso Reman instead of Honda Reman for the price. Denso is likely the OEM and they should be decent.

Stay away from Cardone for anything Reman. Run is the slowest thing you should do with Cardone Reman.
 
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Originally Posted by Garyd
Originally Posted by 1foxracing
You might want to search your local area for a shop that rebuilds alternators and starters, use to be a real common thing but maybe they are all disappearing like all the old Mom and Pop chroming shops.


There is a real good auto-electric guy near me that I would use if I could get the starter out myself. He charges only $75 to rebuild the starter!


this. I did the same on our beloved 2004 TSX earlier this year; get a rebuild from great local shop. took me 1.5 hr because I am not an experienced, but i took the time and clean up the dirt in the intake while taking them off.

check with your local forum or car guys and see where do they go for starter rebuild. in old days there is yellow pages that list bunch of rebuild shop; you may have to search forum and calling around tp find out. these parts rebuild shop usually located in the area populated with auto-repair shops (they need each others).
after years of doing light maintenance and repair on my own car, I learn OE parts have the best fit and quality (HONDA/ACURA in this case), so OE is always my 1st choice, and if I have to use the aftermarket, I will save my OE part for later, repair or rebuild myself and make it a spare. so I call the shop and confirm it's a rebuild off OE stater, and later pickup rebuild starter off this old guy, and I didnt return the core.

on the side note, the day I visit, the old guy the owner is the alone in the shop with dim light, with a few old, nice car park inside. the shop is probalby not getting much business now because of flood cheap reman on market and same day delivery. he is probably holding the fort like he used decades ago. sometimes I wonder if I shall get the alternator/starter for my other cars before he close the shop....
 
Originally Posted by PandaBear
I would use a Denso Reman instead of Honda Reman for the price. Denso is likely the OEM and they should be decent.

Stay away from Cardone for anything Reman. Run is the slowest thing you should do with Cardone Reman.

Honda has been known to use Mitsubishi, Mitsuba and Denso for starters. They mostly use Mitsuba/CME on the 4-cylinder models.

I'd still go Denso or Bosch.
 
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