2001 Elantra starter motor died

How long does the starter motor usually last? My 2001 Elantra's
starter motor began failing when we moved to a colder town at the
start of this month. When the temperature fell below 20F, the starter
wouldn't crank. From midday onwards when it's above 20, I would have
no problems starting.

I had the motor replaced by the dealer, for ~$280 including labor, and
now the car starts fine. Warranty for the part is good for 1 year or
12000 miles.

 

It is not unusual for a starter to fail in that time, but most don't. Last
time I had to replace a starter was on my 1970 Ford. One question is how
often do you start the car? A cab driver may start his car once a shift,
but if you do messenger work you may start yours 50 times a day.

I also have to wonder how it was determined to be the starter. Cold does
affect a lot of things, such as the battery that has less power at low
temperature, plus the starter may draw more current when cold too. Or could
it have been something simple like a dirty cable connection.

As for the price, it does not sound bad. Last week I had the starter in our
Mitsubishi Fuso truck replaced. The parts was $645 and the labor was $266.
It was 12 years old and get 20 to 30 starts a day. You could have had it
done for more or for less at an independent garage. One web site lists
replacement starters at $114 to $322, plus labor.
http://replacement.autopartswarehou...rt=Starter&dp=true&appTransmissionType=Manual

 

In many cases, the starter motors last the life of the car. Hyundai
has very few starter problems