How much should it cost for a new starter for a 2005 Nissan Sentra? I should ask what is a reasonable price for the starter and labor? Nissan is telling me $500. Also, the starter he showed me was plastic and all the ones that I’ve seen on the internet are not plastic. He said that that prevents corrosion. Does any of this sound right?
The $500 is about right for a new starter. We replaced the one on our 1994 Sentra with a rebuilt Bosch unit for $325 plus labor. I have never heard of a “plastic starter”. They operate in a hot environment with a lot of vibration. The “prevents corrosion” statement is pure BS.
Starter motors are usually replaced with rebuilts. Prices range from about $60-150 for many cars. Look at Rock Auto’s website - but expect to pay more at a local parts place. It may well be worth it for speed, advice, and support in case of a problem The labor is not particularly difficult or complicated, in my experience on a few cars I’ve owned - I’d guess about an hour or less for a mechanic at a repair shop.
I never buy parts from a dealer. They are just too expensive because of the high markup.
Look for a good price on a Denso starter.
$500 isn’t out of line, provided it is a good quality rebuilt OEM starter. It would be more if you preferred a new starter rather than rebuilt. I’m not sure what plastic parts you are referring to. There are usually various plastic parts on the exterior of starter motors. At least the ones I’ve installed. But the motor casing itself has always been metal.
The difficulty to replace a starter motor varies from car to car. Some are very easy. Some are definitely not easy. My Corolla’s starter motor is definitely not easy to replace. Unless you have a mentor who has done it before, this isn’t something I’d recommend a beginner do-it-yourselfer do on their modern transverse mounted econo-box. Let your inde mechanic do it the first time and show you how it is done. This is especially the case on a performance car with AC, where everything is packed very tightly into the engine compartment.
If the OP thinks $500 is a tad too much, there is no harm seeking out a recommended inde and getting a bid there. A dealer isn’t needed for this. It’s routine for an experienced mechanic. Inde mechanics replace starter motors all the time.