I have an 03 1.9 tdi, after stopping the car for five minutes when trying to start car the starter did not turn, the ignition lights did not dim, after a few attempts at turning key starter turned & away i went, next day car started normally but after a 60 mile journey the same thing happened, on lifting bonnet i could hear solonoid clunking so presume it was engaging starter gear but starter was not turning, after about twenty or so turns of key it started!!!

it has now been o.k. for the past fortnight, it is not battery i have tested & it allways remains fully charged, any thoughts as i would like to sort it before a foriegn motoring trip

thanks

My first step would be to check the volts drop across the starter solenoid. Should be less than 0.5v. But I'd suspect in this day and age that if the drop is high, then a new starter unit will be required .It used to be possible to clean the contacts, but I'd suspect that these days it's a change starter option only.

If a low drop ,then look at starter motor brushes.

or maybe a failing ignition barrel.

It's still feasible to overhaul starters, but you need to speak to the right people to get the right brushes. And it's a no go without a megger to check the fields and the armature (although most modern lightweight types have fixed magnets rather than field coils nowadays.)