A starter motor is a starter motor. I remember doing a Lucas unit back in the seventies. They all draw about 60 amps no load current rising to about 200 amps when turning over the engine. If the starter motor brushes are of the screw terminal variety then replacing them would be a relatively straightforward procedure. A lot of brush leads are silver soldered to the winding terminals; the Lucas ones were, because of high current draw. How many have the wherewithal to silver solder? Oh and this would of course be without burning winding insulation. Then the commutator would need to be skimmed to do a really decent job, and few people have access to a lathe. With a recon motor from places like Porscheshop netting out at £126.80, I don't see how a person can, realistically, buy and replace the brushes, replace the solenoid, and get the commutator skimmed for £50, and make much of a profit. Not many independents sell the solenoid separately and the last time I bought one around 1999 they were £85+vat from OPC reading. Add in the brushes if you can get them at say a tenner. If you get the comm skimmed for £15 or £20 you end up within a few pounds of the price of a recon unit but without any kind of guarantee or warranty. What is also not generally known is that brushes for any kind of electric motor can be made from carbon with varying degrees of hardness. Has anyone wondered why the original Porsche starter might last say a dozen or so years but the recon unit just about seems to manage three of four years? My 924 had its original starter from 1983 until 1992 at about 125,000 miles. From then on I had to replace the motor every three years or so using units from Europarts, G, F & S and Porsche shop (usual disclaimers). Yes I did keep it until 2003 when I bought my first 924 turbo. There is a reason why the Porscheshop motor is £126 plus refundaable exchange surcharge. I just wonder how long a £50 recon motor would last. I know it's only two bolts and a couple of teminals. All in my humble opinion of course. Somebody will now post to the effect that their recon starter motor has lasted longer than the original and I am talking from an orifice lower than my waistline.
