Starter motor OEM Toyota or OEM Volkswagen

I have two Tundras with 2UZs and a 4Runner with a 3UZ swap... None of them have ever needed a starter replacement... I could probably do that job in 45 minutes, which is better than owning any American vehicle.

So, replaced the starter, and that was that issue.

This is exactly what happened to my 2004 corolla. Working all fine fresh battery alternator everything works had no issues. Next morning went to start it, nothing. I was thinking maybe electrical issue or fuse? All fuses and relays were good. Last resort I though could it be the starter? I’ve heard you can tap a starter with a hammer or wrench and if it attempts to start or actually starts, the starter gear is starting to wear out or issues with the starter solenoid. In my case, the starter teeth were all chewed up and it was crusty inside. Original starter after 168k miles. Fixed the problem. Been good ever since.

My almost stock winter beater has had minimal issues minus exhaust and front end which goes just because the wear and tear. Replaced the original starter last year and alternator a couple weeks ago.

Lotsa fuss over a starter that can last 150k especially an oem one. and although the manifold is heavy comes off super quick. easily a triple time job or more if you're flat rate

I ran the smaller mk3 starter for many years, and it was fine, but now that I have a new-to-me car with the original starter still in it- I prefer that one. It never bogs down, seems to have more torque.

I installed a 02J VR6 starter after cleaning up and regreasing the the bendix and solenoid. Testing of the starter:

So for those who want to know a mk4 tdi manual starter does fit in a mk4 1.8t manual car! The starter is a bit longer so make sure you have clearance for it. It fit fine in my car but it's a mk2 so not sure if there is clearance issues in a mk4. I had to adjust my boost piping a bit to not hit the longer starter but, that's no big deal. Keep in mind this starter cranks like a mother ****er but, does require a strong battery in some cases more cranking amps. My car doesn't get driven much so the battery wasn't at it's full capacity so I charged it up and she cranked like hell!

The starter in my GTI died and I had to push start it. It worked fine but I had a few lights on the dashboard (ESP and something else I think). The starter was the only thing wrong with the car so I think the lights were related to not turning the key to start it.

I had the day off today so I went ahead and put a new starter in, the old one was ghastly, and it still wont even turn over!?