I've replaced 3 starters in 4 years:

2005 - starter makes winding/scraping/whirling noise sometimes it engages, quick remedy is to bang on it with a metal object, it eventually freezes and needs to replaced.

2007 - starter makes winding/scraping/whirling noise days after it has been installed. The noise is sparsely intermittent. 1.5 years later the problem gets worse sometimes it engages, eventually it stops engaging, freezes, and is replaced.

2009 - New starter makes winding/scraping/whirling noise on 3rd or 4th start after being replaced. I'm expecting to be replacing this one in 1.5 - 2 years.

The question is: why is this happening? The first two starters were from Napa, the last on from Advanced. Through out all of this my batteries and electrical system have been good. Could it be something in my Maxima causing starters to go bad or is it just cheap starters?

 

Sounds like your problem may be something other than the starters. Most remanufactured starters are of good quality. A starter makes those noises when it does not have enough power to engage properly. This lack of power can be caused by a fault in the starter itself but it can also be due to other issues in the starter circuit, though that is less likely. I would check that the power connection from the battery to the starter is clean and secure, inspect it closely. Also switch out the inhibit relay (in the case of auto trans) with the wiper relay just in case that is causing a problem.

 

i had the same proble i couldnt explain it either i was changing starters monthly for a while then it just stopped it was wierd

 

I have this same issue - all my starters have come from Napa as well. IIRC I have put 4 different starters on in 3 years...

 

it's due to the fact that those aftermarket starters are "re-built" by people making $1/day.
Spend the extra money and get the nissan rebuilt one. They replace all parts inside it. Not just what the employees think needs to be replaced.

I went through 3 starter from aftermarket suppliers as well. The last one I put on failed after one start.

then I bought nissan re-man. No problems since and it's been well over 3 years.

 

All the reman starters I have seen are Nissan reman- They are all Nissan OEM starters just rebuilt by different manufacturers such as Bosch, Napa, Autozone, Denso ect. The prices of these reman starters vary but that just depends on the quality of the labor and parts going in to the remanufacturing process. As long as you are purchasing from a reputable re-manufacturer it's in their interest to have some kind of quality control in place and not have a lot of returns.

 

I paid just $80 more for a Nissan OEM starter, as I had problems with aftermarket .

 

They are all Nissan OEM starters just rebuilt by different manufacturers such as Bosch, Napa, Autozone, Denso ect.

 

I bought my Max on 6/21/08 with a bad starter.. 17k miles/8 months after replacing it with a rebuilt unit from a local rebuild shop I had to get another replacement from them. Next time it fails I'm gonna throw back to them through their store front windows and I'm getting an OEM one.

 

My mechanic noted that the OEM ordered from Nissan was more suited for the maxima flywheel (something like that as i can't remember).

Order the starter from Nissan.