I'm having a nightmare ordering a starter motor for my sister's Megane.
I removed it and photographed it, and even wrote down the Renault and Bosch part numbers, that are stamped on the starter motor itself.. so when I searched for a compatible item you'd think I would turn up the right part instantly.
Reality is that suppliers' listings for "compatible with Bosch 001 107 047" means something with the wrong number of teeth and too short to fit into the cradle (don't ask) that supports it. When I tell them mine is different, they suggest it was must have been changed by someone (although the car has been owned from new and it really hasn't been changed by anybody).
I eventually found an item for a Clio where the part in the photo was supposedly the "actual" part.. with 9 teeth, not 10... and the right length and solenoid position so it would fit.... but when it arrived it was the same 10-tooth, "short" version as above. They swore blind it was listed as "compatible" with the Bosch 001 107 047.. even though my photo of the Bosch 001 107 047 and their item showed it was completely different. Anyhow they couldn't get "the part in the photo"... but at least then I had another cross-reference number.
A bit of cross-checking turned up an OE Bosch one (surprise! but at £250.. costs half what the car is worth) and a Lithuanian made doodah that looks the correct shape, length and spec' but was apparently only fitted to Meganes made up to 1996, although a side-note said only "chassis to August 1999" (Eureka!) .. so it's now on order (fingers crossed).
My theory is that someone made a pattern part, mistakenly labelled it as "compatible with..." and then a load of other manufacturers used the same list to describe their part. Without the actual starter/part numbers in my hand, I'd have been ordering multiple starters and receiving the same type of wrong one every time. It's been interesting.....
Ralf S.
