Citroen C4 Starter

The unit runs R2,500 to R6,500 depending on the engine. The smaller petrol starters on a C3 or C5 Aircross are R2,400-R4,200; the heavier diesel units for the HDi cars sit at R4,300-R6,100. Fitting adds R800-R1,600, and where it lands in that range depends almost entirely on how buried the starter is behind the exhaust or the subframe. Reconditioned units are a legitimate option on an older car if the rebuilder stands behind the work.

Usually 100,000 to 150,000 km. Two things pull that down. Stop-start systems cycle the motor far more often, so the newer cars work theirs harder even at low mileage. And a tired battery quietly shortens starter life, because a motor turning slowly on low voltage draws more current and generates more heat than one spinning freely. Keeping the battery healthy is the single most effective thing you can do for the starter — and repeatedly cranking a car that will not fire is the fastest way to cook one.

Repair is real. If it is the solenoid contacts or worn brushes — which between them account for most failures — a rebuild is R1,150-R2,050. The reason most workshops still recommend a new or remanufactured unit is arithmetic: the labour to get the starter out is the same either way, and a remanufactured unit with a warranty typically costs only R500-R1,000 more than the repair. On a high-mileage car, that difference buys you certainty.

Cold does two things at once. It thickens the oil, so the engine is harder to turn, and it reduces the battery capacity available to turn it. Those work against each other at exactly the wrong moment. On a diesel there is a third factor — the glow plugs have to bring the chambers up to temperature first, and a failed glow plug shows up as a cold-start problem that vanishes once the engine is warm. If your car cranks slowly on a Free State or Gauteng winter morning and fine at midday, have the battery, the glow plugs and the starter draw all tested before replacing anything.

A weak battery, more often than anything else, because it makes the motor work harder for longer on every start. After that: oil from a leaking sump or rear main seal soaking into the starter, which is common on high-mileage THP engines; corroded terminals and earth straps on coastal cars; and heat soak from a turbo sitting nearby. Stop-start models add cycle count on top of all of it. Fix the cause before fitting the new motor, or you will be fitting another one.