I have seen them go over 500,000 miles on many of them… great vehicles… if mine was not rear-ended and totaled at 180,000 miles on it I am pretty sure I would still be driving it, only maintenance done other than oil changes every 5K was normal wear and tear items and the spark plugs were done at 120K+ miles…
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Why are you so sure?
You’ve never done a starter on one of your Toyotas?
I’ve also had many Toyotas over the years and a fair number of starters were replaced
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I’d also choose the 2006 Corolla
Newer technology
More safety features
Probably less wear and tear
No timing belt
And so on
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My daughters 2002 Corolla at the time with over 200K on it, decided not to start, same thing, everything worked but nothing when trying to start.. It ended up being the shift cable came off the shifter (bushing broke) and was stuck in drive…
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Thank you! I am really grateful. I feel so out of my comfort zone whenever I have to take my car to a mechanic.
It wasn’t the battery. I had it towed.
So I got it to the shop yesterday late afternoon, and they just told me on the phone just now that it’s definitely a bad starter.
I took it to the same shop which had replaced the starter for me in 2019. It has a reputation for being trustworthy and affordable from what I’ve heard, and I’d been happy with the work they’d done for me in the past, just on a couple other occasions, though my faith in them is wavering slightly now that I learned that the starter they’d put in broke five years later. The last starter they put in, the shop owner told me, only had a one year warranty.
When I explained the problem with the car to the mechanic yesterday before he’d looked at it, he said it sounded like a bad starter. I said that I had the starter replaced in 2019… by them. I asked if it might be something other than the starter, since they’d replaced it five years ago and I don’t drive it much. He said that a starter might only last five years. I had read before I went that a starter might last 50-60,000 starts, or 100-200,000 miles, so I didn’t know what to think. When I told them I hadn’t driven it but a few thousand miles in five years, the guy said it might be that not driving it might also make the starter wear out sooner…
I checked back in my records and I’ve driven 12,000 miles since 2019, entirely around town like for errands. Is it possible that not driving it much, or driving it around town on errands, would make the starter go so soon? Is five years soon for a starter to wear out?
So I haven’t gotten a price yet, but I’m just wondering if there’s anything I should know or say to try and get a more reliable part put in, or if this is the best a person can expect.
I looked at these parts before I went, and I mentioned to the shop owner that I’d seen these parts online, but he thought that Toyota parts weren’t worth it and refurbished parts weren’t reliable. Does that seem legitimate?
This happened to my car also a few years back. The same mechanic fixed it for something like 40 dollars.
I’m about to call them back to get a price. Anything you can advise me, I’d be very, very grateful. Thanks so much for all your help already.
I’ve been driving since 1965, and I’ve never had a starter fail, even on cars that I drove for 11-12 years. It may just be the luck of the draw, however.
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The mechanic said he plans to use a Carquest starter, and that it will be three hundred dollars. I read Carquest is the Advanced Auto Parts house brand. The mechanic said this was the same brand part he’d use if this was his own car.
Do you know if this is a good brand and a good price? I read someone in a Toyota forum say that they had a Carquest starter break after only one thousand miles (Need recommendations for a starter | Toyota Nation Forum).
Any thoughts? Is there a better option in terms of brand of starter? Does the price sound reasonable?
Can anyone recommend or recommend against a TYC starter? I read some good reviews. Amazon.com: TYC 1-17841 Starter Motor Compatible with 2003-2008 Toyota Corolla : Automotive
Rock Auto has a remanufactured Denso starter for $155. I would use a Denso over another aftermarket brand. Rock Auto also has a TYC new for about $75.00.
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I wouldn’t use a store brand starter, if I had a choice
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Yes, it seemed to me this was not promising. Can you recommend one for the 2006 corolla?
Rock Auto lists DENSO 2800330
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If you supply the starter the shop will not warranty it or their labor. So you either use what they use or find another shop. I say let them get you back on the road and if you keep the car you have a year to search for another shop or even look for a newer vehicle.
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Understood. The shop owner offered to put in a “more expensive” starter if I wanted it, so I don’t think I’d be buying it on my own. I’d like to keep my car going for as long as possible. I love my car. Many people say Corollas can go several hundred thousand miles, so mine could have a lot more life in it, God willing. I can wait a few days to get the starter put in if they order it.
Thank you. Any thoughts on which is more reliable?
I’ve always installed Carquest (now Advance Auto) parts for over 35 years.
Every time I installed remanufactured starter/alternator for a Honda/Toyota from them it was either Nippondenso or Hitachi.
I asked the manager now that they’re Advance Auto where get their parts from.
He said the same places. Only now they come in an Advance Auto parts box.
Tester
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I just did a quick search at the Advance site. They show three “grades” of Carquest starters: standard (remanufactured); premium (reman); “professional” (new). The “standard” comes with a 1 yr warranty. The other two are lifetime. Talk to the shop about that.
And based on the 1 yr - that standard retails for a little over $100. You should expect to pay a mark up. The shop has to spend the time to source the stuff, afterall. However, if they’re going to sell you a “standard” with a 1 yr warranty for $400, that’s a 300% markup. Holy shhhh azizzle.
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Cigroller beat me to it, they probably installed the cheaper 1 year warranty last time, I would either use the premium one or the new professional one and ask them if they honor the lifetime parts warranty, you would still be responsible for the labor after the shops warranty is up… The Carquest better/best product lines are pretty good…
Now they should only charge you 0.8 hours labor, so if the shop rate is $200 an hour, you should be charged $160.00 for labor to install the starter plus parts (starter)… Labor based off a LE model…
If you were installing the starter yourself in the Nashville area, the premium starter cost $129.00, the professional starter cost $165.00.. But a shop has overhead just like any business so they will charge a markup on the part, that is standard practice… Plus the starter part price might be higher or lower depending on your demography…
IF the shop agrees to honor the lifetime warranty for the starter, if you chose it, make sure to get it in writing on your receipt and make sure not to loose it…
I don’t think most any shop will order from RockAuto, they are great for the DIYer, but not for a shop when turn around time is how they make money, and waiting a week for a part that is in stock right down the road is just bad business for a shop…
And as said earlier, let the shop supply the part for warranty reasons…
And the online part from Toyota, is the same price at the Toyota dealer parts counter, so you could ask the shop about it, but the CQ starter will work just fine, I have sold and installed many of them…
Also, a shop will get the part at a discounted price (commercial pricing)…
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Yeah, after I bought the stupid cable lol, I told my son to install it, well after he removed the center console to get to the shifter he called me and told me that only the part of the bushing that held the cable to the shifter had broken, he said it looked like he could use an E-clip to keep it from falling off, so he ended up fixing it for a few $… lol… Car has since been traded in for a newer Corolla and I still have that stupid cable… 
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To be honest, I have NEVER had a starter go bad on any vehicle, other than my Daewoo Lanos. Certainly not on a Toyota. In fact, all of the vehicles in my family went to the junkyard with the original starter, some with well over 200,000 miles.
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