[sowbmw]

Will the Valeo starter work in a car made before 03/2011? I see there is a specific BOSCH unit made for vehicles before this date but don't know if a Valeo would make a difference.

[sowbmw]

Bump

[lookalikehuuh]

ummm....... why wouldn't you just buy a starter that is an exact match to what is already in the car? If you have a Valeo replace it with a Valeo. But I think most E90s come with Bosch starters (at least the 5 cars Ive done starters on have been Bosch units).

I'm sure Valeo probably makes a unit that will fit, the real question for me is... is the Valeo the OE unit.

[mainbearing]

It should work. Make sure to use new aluminum bolts.

Rockauto catalog shows VALEO 438272 (1.2kW), BOSCH SR0492N (probably still 1.1kW), and what I used 1.2kW TYC 117922 with lifetime warranty in place of the old Bosch junk that came out of there.

Starters:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...ter+motor,4152

Starter bolts:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...rter+bolt,4153

Originally Posted by sowbmw

Will the Valeo starter work in a car made before 03/2011? I see there is a specific BOSCH unit made for vehicles before this date but don't know if a Valeo would make a difference.

[sowbmw]

I’m having a hard time finding a starter that is OE locally (ie the Seg branded starter) so I was wondering if the Valeo ( also OE) would work.

[lordnikon]

The Bosch starters are now made in China. I would just use Valeo.

[mainbearing]

Seg looks like an aftermarket manufacturer.

https://www.seg-automotive.com/about-us/

Since Bosch is a known problematic starter that gradually seizes, someone probably already replaced it using an aftermarket one. If you have a Bosch alternator it is also a good time to change the voltage regulator on it while accessing the starter.

I would just use TYC with lifetime warranty (and I did). As I understand Rockauto ships to Canada.

Originally Posted by sowbmw

I’m having a hard time finding a starter that is OE locally (ie the Seg branded starter) so I was wondering if the Valeo ( also OE) would work.

[jadams161]

I took a Valeo out of my 2011 N51 and installed a Bosch. Zero issues.

[Hoody007]

The Valeo starter supersedes all others, and should work. Installed one in place of a Denso unit on my F10 with the N52.

[sowbmw]

I ended up going with a SEG branded starter which works well. It’s Made in Hungary.

[StradaRedlands]

The only thing that sucks with these cars is getting access to the starter.

Such an annoyance!

Well, that and oil pan gaskets, plastic valve covers, leaking expansion tanks, Mickey Mouse flanges, catastrophic accessory belt failures, VANOS bolts.
But really, that's about it, right?

[3PedalJake]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

The only thing that sucks with these cars is getting access to the starter.

Such an annoyance!

Well, that and oil pan gaskets, plastic valve covers, leaking expansion tanks, Mickey Mouse flanges, catastrophic accessory belt failures, VANOS bolts.
But really, that's about it, right?

You forgot leaky OFHG and crumbly PCV hoses.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by 3PedalJake

You forgot leaky OFHG and crumbly PCV hoses.

Such oversights!!!

TBH the OFHG is the one unnecessary BMW job I don't mind doing.

The rest of the above all kind of suck!

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Such oversights!!!

TBH the OFHG is the one unnecessary BMW job I don't mind doing.

The rest of the above all kind of suck!

You also forgot about DISA valves valves that can grenade your engine when they fail without warning and are crazy expensive.

PCV system on the 06 330i that is unique and costs like $500 to replace with all the hoses etc.

Plastic radiator endcaps that break because... well coolant is hot.

Coolant expansion tanks that also break.... again because coolant is hot

1 time use aluminum bolts used all over the damn place that can be inexplicably be crazy expensive at times.

The electric water pumps that fail regularly and are crazy expensive.

Overtorqued head bolts on early N52s.

And that's just for the N52... Let's not even start on the N54/N55 platform.