Quote Originally Posted by SoleusBB View Post
I find it hard to accept that starter motors have gotten so fragile?

The only way I could imagine trashing one of these was by continuously cranking the engine (i.e. pinipilit i-redondo) that won't start because of some other mechanical problem. You can cause the starter to overheat.

Switching the engine off and starting it again, even frequently (yung within reason of course, not yung 100x in 5 minutes!) shouldn't be cause for much concern. Ewan ko lang ngayon though. Generally, they should last the designed service life of the vehicle.

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As to batteries, cheap brands do last a year only. Getting 3+ or more years on one of the better models, tingin ko sulit na.


"It used to be so natural (used to be)
To talk about forever
But used-to-bes don't count anymore
They just lay on the floor 'til we sweep them away"

Used to be starters were made with 100% laminated iron cores, 99.999% copper wires, durable brass commutators and sealed type bearings. Not anymore. We get recycled steel laminate cores, less than 50% copper wires and commutators and bearings with a pinch of grease no bigger than a mung bean. Yes they were "designed to last" as the engine, which means 5 years cranked 2x a day x 5 days a week.

I personally call it the Mig 15 philosophy. Why make something to last 10000 flying hours when it will get shot down after just 2 months? So the russians made the engines to last for just 100 hours, then made many hundreds of them.