Starter motor OEM Volkswagen or Duralast

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.

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!

MkIV 2.0 auto trans starter. Bolts right up to an 020. Spins the engine faster than the original did. And, it's smaller and lighter, too. I put one in my Scirocco a few years ago, when I replaced the trans & clutch.

Can confirm Mk3 starters work on Mk1s as long as it's a manual Mk1, have had one on for years, have seen it done on several Mk1s.

So I picked up the MK4 unit. It sounds different than the old unit. From what I read it's got gear reduction in it. Car starts fine. Glad to have some new tech in this old car, and it's funny, the MK1 unit has a 1 year warranty while the MK4 unit is lifetime. Put another check in the pro column for the MK4 unit!

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.

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!?

i had a durasuck crap out on me after 4 days, replacement one covered under the "warrenty" did the same thing. get a bosch