Starter motor Bosch or OEM Subaru

PartReview Score

Rank #2 in ranking

123

3.9

Cranking

3.5

Multiple attempts

4.0

Sounds

2.6

Owners' choice:

Volkswagen Passat

PR Score

Ranking

Votes

Reviews

Average rating

Properties

Car

PartReview Score

Rank #9 in ranking

-15

2.3

Cranking

1.3

Multiple attempts

1.0

Sounds

1.0

No data

Reviews

All

Bosch

OEM Subaru

Bosch › Starter motor

mokoosh 3 Jan 2026, 00:22

Cranking:

Rating 4.0

I have had good Bosch starters with a bad solenoid. Loose positive post, as you describe.

Pros: good starter, easy to remove

Cons: bad solenoid, loose post

Vehicle: Volkswagen

Bosch › Starter motor

PerryEA 31 Dec 2025, 17:44

Cranking:

Rating 5.0

Reman is fine! Go with Bosch.

Pros: Reman is fine

Part number: SR61X

Bosch › Starter motor

Cha-Car 20 Dec 2025, 22:57

Cranking:
Sounds:

Rating 4.0

Replacing the original 25 year old starter (!!) with a remanufactured Bosch part, which seems identical to the original. I am hoping to solve the intermittent no-start issue I’ve been having lately (single click when turning key). Overall the job was fairly straightforward with no major issues.

Pros: fairly straightforward job

Cons: intermittent no-start issue

Vehicle: BMW

Bosch › Starter motor

Goodgulf 15 Dec 2025, 22:34

Cranking:

Rating 4.0

You'll need to replace the starter motor to repair the car, they're about $120 on [rockauto for a remanufactured Bosch unit]

Pros: remanufactured unit available

Vehicle: Volkswagen Passat

Bosch › Starter motor

_randomwordbot 15 Dec 2025, 21:27

Rating 5.0

The exact same starter from Bosch (original manufacturer for Volvo) which is what a shop would sell you because it’s the OE for Volvo is 216.99.

Pros: OE for Volvo

Vehicle: Volvo

Part number: 36003222

Bosch › Starter motor

paintedwoodpile 12 Dec 2025, 15:46

Cranking:

Rating 5.0

I opted for the Bosch reman for $120 from NAPA a couple years ago. Still very strong.

Pros: still very strong

Bosch › Starter motor

Old Reliable 19 Oct 2025, 01:06

Cranking:

Rating 3.0

Replaced the ignition switch with OE VW Installed a brand new Bosch starter today due to the battery terminal on the solenoid breaking off internally Thought the new starter would be the answer, but no

Pros: new starter installed

Cons: starter not the answer

Vehicle: Volkswagen Jetta

Bosch › Starter motor

cqpate 31 Dec 2025, 03:54

Cranking:
Sounds:
Multiple attempts:

Rating 2.0

greetings 72 bug with rarely used new bosch starter/solenoid(play car not daily drive) walmart battery just went out of warranty and battery tester shows about 76% health. turn the key and i get clunk from starter. after about 15 clunks it will fire up. if i top off battery with charger it will fire up every time. about hour later it is back to clunk clunk clunk, vroom. digital cig socket voltmeter shows mostly about 14v down the road depending on speed. 'smart charger' says cell fault but battery checker says recharge. new battery needed?

Cons: clunk from starter

Vehicle: Volkswagen Beetle

OEM Subaru › Starter motor

ginbooth 14 Oct 2025, 23:55

Cranking:
Sounds:
Multiple attempts:

Rating 2.0

Weird starter issue with a fair amount of 22s

Cons: weird starter issue

Vehicle: Subaru

Bosch › Starter motor

sinisteraxillary 13 Jul 2025, 00:36

Cranking:

Rating 1.0

Definitely get that starter -- even the OEM new Bosch ones suck

Cons: OEM new ones suck

Vehicle: Volvo

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Show all

Which starter motor to choose — Bosch 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:

Comparison of starter motor Bosch and OEM Subaru

PR Score.
Overall ranking.
Vote balance.
Average rating.
Number of reviews.
Feature ratings.
Car owners’ choice.

Which starter motor are better — OEM Subaru or Bosch?

In March 2026 on PartReview, starter motor Bosch were overall better than OEM Subaru.

Bosch received a PR Score of 75 out of 100, and OEM Subaru scored 32 points.
Bosch ranked 2 in the overall ranking, and OEM Subaru ranked 9.
The average rating is higher for Bosch (3.9) than for OEM Subaru (2.3).
Starter motor Bosch have better feature ratings than OEM Subaru:
- Sounds - owners believe, that this property for Bosch is better than OEM Subaru.
- Multiple attempts - drivers claim, that this property for Bosch is outperforms OEM Subaru.
- Cranking - reviews suggest, that this property for Bosch is preferred to OEM Subaru.

Which starter motor are more popular — Bosch or OEM Subaru?

In March 2026 on PartReview, starter motor Bosch were overall more popular than OEM Subaru.

By vote balance, starter motor Bosch surpassed OEM Subaru:

For Bosch, the ratio of positive (184) to negative (61) votes is 123 votes.
For OEM Subaru, the ratio of positive (14) to negative (29) votes is -15 votes.

By number of reviews, starter motor Bosch surpassed OEM Subaru:

For starter motor Bosch there are 79 reviews: 56 positive, 8 neutral, 15 negative.
For starter motor OEM Subaru there are 14 reviews: 4 positive, 1 neutral, 9 negative.

Which starter motor do car owners prefer — Bosch or OEM Subaru?

In March 2026, according to PartReview, starter motor Bosch led more car-specific ratings than OEM Subaru:

Bosch are chosen by owners of cars such as: Volkswagen Passat, and others.

Starter motor OEM Subaru have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.

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 Bosch with: Denso, OEM Honda, Duralast, OEM FORD, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Toyota, VALEO, AC DELCO.

Also available: comparisons of starter motor OEM Subaru with: Denso, OEM Honda, Duralast, OEM FORD, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Toyota, VALEO, 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.