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.
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.
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.
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.
Burro a veces se pone pesado (recomiendo cambiar por nuevo valeo de 11 dientes que anda mas liviano y no jode mas)
pegue o modelo atualizado da valeo, acho que é com mais dentes, é um problema crônico mesmo, já troquei quando tinha um polo.
Am fost inclusiv la reprezentanta. Mi-au recomandat s\u0103 schimb electromotorul. Schimbat, pus Valeo.
Valeos are fine until the magnets fail, and they will.
Never Valeo. JUNK.
I have a Valeo and I definitely noticed an increase in starting power and also less battery usage, over the (probably tired) Bosch starter.
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What we know about VALEO starter motor
The brand is registered in France. Official website: http://www.valeo.com/en/.
In March 2026, PartReview users have a positive opinion of VALEO starter motor.
PR Score — 78 out of 100, based on 12 reviews and 37 votes. 9 positive reviews, 1 neutral review, 2 negative reviews. Average rating — 4 (out of 5). Vote balance: 29 up, 8 down.
In the ranking of the best starter motor this part is at position 7, behind AC DELCO and OEM Volkswagen , but ahead of Duralast and OEM Subaru.
Users also evaluated the qualities of VALEO starter motor:
- Cranking - no crank or very slow cranking - rated negatively. 2.4 points out of 5.
- Sounds - clicks, squeal, or grinding during start attempt - no rating yet
- Multiple attempts - engine only catches after several tries - no rating yet
Starter motor VALEO in car-specific ratings
Other car-specific ratings this part participates in:
- VALEO ranks #4 for: Volkswagen Passat .
Starter motor VALEO in comparisons
There are 9 comparisons of VALEO starter motor with other manufacturers on PartReview.
In particular, see which starter motor are better: VALEO or AC DELCO, VALEO or Duralast, VALEO or OEM Volkswagen, VALEO or OEM FORD, VALEO or OEM Honda .