Starter motor Denso or OEM Volkswagen

My Passat has 370k km and is 20 years old, still on the original starter, and starts like a champ.

Denso is the only option you should go with.

Some aftermarket starters are garbage, some are good. Denso starters are usually pretty solid if they still make them for your vehicle.

The best will always be OE Honda (or Denso, that's the OE manufacturer). RockAuto has a remanufactured Denso for $183, that's the one I'd go with.

Just gonna put my 2 cents in, the slow crank is either the starter or the battery. At that age, if the battery tests good it is the starter.

I finally had to replace my OE starter on my 2nd gen at \~230k miles. The OEM Denso starters that Toyota uses on these trucks are solid. You are more than likely fine for a long time.

Denso starter in my Toyota 4runner lasts like 15 years / 150k+ miles before needing a rebuild and can take it out easily.

About a day ago my starter completely went out on me... and just today I got finished putting an ABA starter into play. Absolutely love how much better it sounds and it has no problems getting things turning.

Volkswagen did something similar with the starters on the 70's/80's Rabbit -- They installed it mere inches from the exhaust, which led to premature solenoid failure. I installed a solenoid bypass button and mounted it under the dash after the 3rd starter replacement in 5 years.

Ive noticed during the day on a lunch run, when I release the pedal to pull away from a stop sign or light, the engine judders hard and lunges me forward somewhat aggressive. I think this feature really puts a strain on the starter too.