French-Made Valeo Starter --- Piece of Junk

Did you buy a Saturn because you didn't want to get left standing or
walking? Did you think you were going to get a 100k miles out of it before
it started to fall apart? Have you now been disabused of the notion that
Saturn makes a car to compete in dependability with Hondas, Nissans, and
Toyotas? Heheheh.

I have a crappy Valeo D6RA starter in front of me. If you want to see it
cussed, just google it. It's made by eurofaggots in France. It failed at
99k miles and mostly highway travel. Actually only the solenoid is bad,
but you can't buy the solenoid. You have to buy the starter too @ $200.

Anybody know where I can find a kit just to replace the solenoid?

And, btw, the alternator went at 60k miles, the AC at 70K, and the cooling
sytem imploded at 90k. I haven't replaced the fuel pump yet but plan to
and am crossing my fingers. Otherwise, I'm not all that unhappy with the
car. The dohc engine is zippy, uses a quart of oil every 500 miles (which
ain't all that unreasonable), gets me 38 mpg, and has a great radio and tape
deck.

Just a little piXXed about the starter. Besides it was hell to get it out.
You have to slide underneath and you WILL bust your knuckles.

jls wrote:

> I have a crappy Valeo D6RA starter in front of me. If you want to see it
> cussed, just google it. It's made by eurofaggots in France. It failed at
> 99k miles and mostly highway travel. Actually only the solenoid is bad,
> but you can't buy the solenoid. You have to buy the starter too @ $200.

Just be glad it isn't a Toyota starter. I had the solenoid
fail on the last Toyota I owned. Not only couldn't you buy
just the solenoid, the #$@*& Toyota starter was over
$500!!!!

Fortunately for me, I visited a local automotive electrical
rebuilder. The only thing actually wrong with my wonderful
awesome really great Toyota starter was the copper contact
"bolt" in one end of the solenoid. I took just the "bolt" to
the rebuilder. The only thing I did was show him the part
and he immediately identified the vehicle. I made some
comment to the effect that the part must fail a lot for him
to recognize the part. He laughed and said those s&^t Toyota
starters don't usually last long enough for that part to
fail. You want to hear about the alternator from the same
wonderful amazingly unbelievably perfect Toyota? It was
total CRAP. Every August I could count on a call from my ex
telling me that the car had stopped and all the warning
lights were on. Every damn time it was alternator. And once
again, Toyota did not sell repair parts except for a
complete $500+ alternator. Fortunately the internal
regulator (the part that kept failing) was available after
market. The reason the regulator kept failing was that those
infallible Toyota engineers had located the alternator next
to the exhaust manifold, in an area with virtually no air
flow - particularly when the car was driven by a woman who
never drove on the highway. Then there was the marvelous
Toyota AC and the unbelievably wonderful plastic that turned
a beautiful shade of white, and the incredible fuel pump
relays that improved vehicle safety by immobilizing the
vehicle, and should I mention the awesome automatic
transmission that let you know it was shifting by rattling
your teeth? Or maybe I should mention the cost of a front
fender?

If you think I hate Toyotas, you got that right. Thanks for
the opportunity to vent.

Anyhow, back to your original problem - look for an
automotive electrical rebuilder in your area. chances are he
can get a solenoid.

Ed

"C. E. White" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> jls wrote:
>
> > I have a crappy Valeo D6RA starter in front of me. If you want to see
it
> > cussed, just google it. It's made by eurofaggots in France. It failed
at
> > 99k miles and mostly highway travel. Actually only the solenoid is
bad,
> > but you can't buy the solenoid. You have to buy the starter too @
$200.
>
> Just be glad it isn't a Toyota starter. I had the solenoid
> fail on the last Toyota I owned. Not only couldn't you buy
> just the solenoid, the #$@*& Toyota starter was over
> $500!!!!
>
> Fortunately for me, I visited a local automotive electrical
> rebuilder. The only thing actually wrong with my wonderful
> awesome really great Toyota starter was the copper contact
> "bolt" in one end of the solenoid. I took just the "bolt" to
> the rebuilder. The only thing I did was show him the part
> and he immediately identified the vehicle. I made some
> comment to the effect that the part must fail a lot for him
> to recognize the part. He laughed and said those s&^t Toyota
> starters don't usually last long enough for that part to
> fail. You want to hear about the alternator from the same
> wonderful amazingly unbelievably perfect Toyota? It was
> total CRAP. Every August I could count on a call from my ex
> telling me that the car had stopped and all the warning
> lights were on. Every damn time it was alternator. And once
> again, Toyota did not sell repair parts except for a
> complete $500+ alternator. Fortunately the internal
> regulator (the part that kept failing) was available after
> market. The reason the regulator kept failing was that those
> infallible Toyota engineers had located the alternator next
> to the exhaust manifold, in an area with virtually no air
> flow - particularly when the car was driven by a woman who
> never drove on the highway. Then there was the marvelous
> Toyota AC and the unbelievably wonderful plastic that turned
> a beautiful shade of white, and the incredible fuel pump
> relays that improved vehicle safety by immobilizing the
> vehicle, and should I mention the awesome automatic
> transmission that let you know it was shifting by rattling
> your teeth? Or maybe I should mention the cost of a front
> fender?
>
> If you think I hate Toyotas, you got that right. Thanks for
> the opportunity to vent.
>
> Anyhow, back to your original problem - look for an
> automotive electrical rebuilder in your area. chances are he
> can get a solenoid.
>
> Ed

Ed, I got a great kick out of your post and will avoid Toyotas, then. So
much for my ability to diagnose the problem with the Valeo starter. I took
the damX thing to a rebuilder, who immediately found the armature sheared.
I looked at the casting and it looked like pure crap.

On Ebay a Connecticut dealer sells these plagued things for $30 apiece but I
have yet to receive an e-mail in return for mine to him offering to send a
money order instead of dealing through the dreaded paypal.

If you see somebody pushing off a Saturn in the hilly WNC area, that would
probably be ... I've been doing it now for a week and have it down to a
science.

Thanks for the advice.

In article >,
"C. E. White" > wrote:

> Just be glad it isn't a Toyota starter. I had the solenoid
> fail on the last Toyota I owned. Not only couldn't you buy
> just the solenoid, the #$@*& Toyota starter was over
> $500!!!!

Toyota starters are notorious for popping.

> You want to hear about the alternator from the same
> wonderful amazingly unbelievably perfect Toyota? It was
> total CRAP.

On some hondas, because they assumed the alternatoir would be perfect
forever, you have to pull the driveshaft/CV joint on that side to change
it. The Saturn alternator's a breeze in comparison.

> and should I mention the awesome automatic
> transmission that let you know it was shifting by rattling
> your teeth?

I'm convinced the Japanese do not know how to build automatics. I've
yet to drive a Japanese car with a well behaved one. My friend had his
Toyota tranny lock up solid on him, without warning...

> Or maybe I should mention the cost of a front fender?


It's a Japanese car. Parts are $$$$$

Reminds me of the time a friend tried to ressurect his old Honda
motorcycle. New voltage regulator? $350. Carb rebuild kit? Don't
ask. Get the shims to do the valve adjustments? Nope, they won't sell
you those. Clutch master cylinder - a steal at $250.

Then the oil pump died. Funny thing about Hondas - they don't have
bearings, rather everything runs on hardened aluminum. Lose the oil
pump, the motor's toast. There's no way to rebuild it because there's
nothing to rebuild.

Oh yeah, the adjustment guide for the carbs points out that you need a
small screwdriver 'and lots of patience'.

He was looking at a new Shadow, and asked the dealer about this on the
newer ones. Nope, they still make 'em that way. He went out and bought
a Harley instead. At least a Harley motor's rebuildable, and they're
all roller bearing anyway. Not to mention, if you think Harley dealers
are dicks, try your average crotch rocket shop some day...

I don't get how the Japanese got to where they are in ther car market,
other than American cars of the 70's must have been truely horrid
things...

In article >,
says...
> In article >,
> "C. E. White" > wrote:
>
> > Just be glad it isn't a Toyota starter. I had the solenoid
> > fail on the last Toyota I owned. Not only couldn't you buy
> > just the solenoid, the #$@*& Toyota starter was over
> > $500!!!!
>
> Toyota starters are notorious for popping.
>
> > You want to hear about the alternator from the same
> > wonderful amazingly unbelievably perfect Toyota? It was
> > total CRAP.
>
> On some hondas, because they assumed the alternatoir would be perfect
> forever, you have to pull the driveshaft/CV joint on that side to change
> it. The Saturn alternator's a breeze in comparison.
>
> > and should I mention the awesome automatic
> > transmission that let you know it was shifting by rattling
> > your teeth?
>
> I'm convinced the Japanese do not know how to build automatics. I've
> yet to drive a Japanese car with a well behaved one. My friend had his
> Toyota tranny lock up solid on him, without warning...
>
> > Or maybe I should mention the cost of a front fender?
>
>
> It's a Japanese car. Parts are $$$$$
>
> Reminds me of the time a friend tried to ressurect his old Honda
> motorcycle. New voltage regulator? $350. Carb rebuild kit? Don't
> ask. Get the shims to do the valve adjustments? Nope, they won't sell
> you those. Clutch master cylinder - a steal at $250.
>
> Then the oil pump died. Funny thing about Hondas - they don't have
> bearings, rather everything runs on hardened aluminum. Lose the oil
> pump, the motor's toast. There's no way to rebuild it because there's
> nothing to rebuild.
>
> Oh yeah, the adjustment guide for the carbs points out that you need a
> small screwdriver 'and lots of patience'.
>
> He was looking at a new Shadow, and asked the dealer about this on the
> newer ones. Nope, they still make 'em that way. He went out and bought
> a Harley instead. At least a Harley motor's rebuildable, and they're
> all roller bearing anyway. Not to mention, if you think Harley dealers
> are dicks, try your average crotch rocket shop some day...
>

Lol

Man I knew these things for years and a majority of people still
haven't caught on. At least when you rebuild a harley you increase the
value. Heck dont touch it and the value will still go up. It sounds like
the voltage regulator alone cost as much as what that honda bike would
of been worth.
Btw anyone catch "Mail Call" on the history channel just recently? A
question was asked as to what was the worst piece of equipment issued to
our troops. Answer: A French maching gun. I say never rely on another
country for your weapons, car parts, etc etc.

In article >,
Blah blah > wrote:


> Man I knew these things for years and a majority of people still
> haven't caught on. At least when you rebuild a harley you increase the
> value. Heck dont touch it and the value will still go up. It sounds like
> the voltage regulator alone cost as much as what that honda bike would
> of been worth.

Yeah, he gave up on Honda after that episode. Me? I'm still loving my
'99 FXDWG with it's hot rodded motor and custom paint and all....

Then again, GM may have invented depriciation, but the Japanese
perfected it :/

>> I have a crappy Valeo D6RA starter in front of me. If you want to
>> see it cussed, just google it. It's made by eurofaggots in France.
>> It failed


Don't expect too much from these French assholes and you won't be let down.
My father spent 3 years in France in the 60's when he was in the United
States Army (mechanic in the motor pool). He said that the army employed a
lot of local French people to work on the base, and they were about as
useless as tits on a hog. They were lazy, took a ton of cigarette and
coffee breaks, and didn't work too hard when they were working. He also
said they were real rude. Here, we were spending billions to help protect
their country and their democracy (after having already saved their asses
in WW2), and they treated our boys like crap.

What do you expect from a country that thinks snails are a delicacy? What
a bunch of friggin' fairies. They sit back and ridicule the USA foreign
policy until they get invaded; then they sit back and watch us save their
hides.


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I read posts here about problems ... but, ... no one I met have ever had any
major problems with their Saturns in the first 100k

Don't hold back, Justin! Tell us what you REALLY think!

"Justin" <justin1138@REMOVEnet> wrote in message
7.130...
> >> I have a crappy Valeo D6RA starter in front of me. If you want to
> >> see it cussed, just google it. It's made by eurofaggots in France.
> >> It failed
>
>
> Don't expect too much from these French assholes and you won't be let
down.
> My father spent 3 years in France in the 60's when he was in the United
> States Army (mechanic in the motor pool). He said that the army employed
a
> lot of local French people to work on the base, and they were about as
> useless as tits on a hog. They were lazy, took a ton of cigarette and
> coffee breaks, and didn't work too hard when they were working. He also
> said they were real rude. Here, we were spending billions to help protect
> their country and their democracy (after having already saved their asses
> in WW2), and they treated our boys like crap.
>
> What do you expect from a country that thinks snails are a delicacy? What
> a bunch of friggin' fairies. They sit back and ridicule the USA foreign
> policy until they get invaded; then they sit back and watch us save their
> hides.
>
>
> -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
> http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
> -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

" jls" > wrote in message >.. .
> Hello, Tim, I just got through crawling around in the gravel under the
> Saturn. The starter I wound up with and just installed was new, made in
> China. I found it at a starter repair shop here for $135 and the dealer
> let me keep my precious Valeo, which I had misdiagnosed. Plus the pieces
> that fell out of it. The Valeo had sheared its shaft just aft of the
> needle bearings on the drive end.
>
> The Chinese starter is guaranteed for 2 years. It has "Brand New Starter"
> and some numbers and assurances of OEM and whatnot written on the box.

Is it possible that the Valeo was also a made-in-China unit? All the
auto companies have really "gone global" in the past decade, to the point
where something branded by a Euro company is likely made in India or China...

I'm somewhat critical of unknown Indian/Malysian/Chinese suppliers, but
if they have been around for a couple of years they often get a pretty
good reputation.

> Most of the parts suppliers I had called wanted $200 for a rebuilt starter
> and the core. Thank you for your support. The little '96 Saturn cranked
> right up.

Keep in mind that a good alternator or starter rebuild can actually be
superior to the factory item. The best rebuilds go through and replace all the
wear parts (bearings, brushes, regulator, etc.) with superior components.
That said, a lot of rebuild shops use cheap crap parts installed by people with
little experience, and it's hard to see the difference from the outside.

How hard was it to pull and replace the starter? I've worked on the other
side of the engine (alternator, PS pump, idler, tensioner) a good amount,
enough to know what you get at from the top and what you get at from the
bottom and what you do through the wheel well, but never had to muck with
the starter.

Tim.