Starter squeal- how long before I need to replace?

[tlc356]

My '05 has the occasional brief starter squeal that many others have reported. How many miles have others gone while living with this?

Is it just an annoyance or a sign indicating that I must replace the starter? If so, what has the experience been as to when it needs to be replaced?

Thanks in advance, Tom
*******************************BELOW IS AN UPDATE also in another post below****************************
I first posted this in Feb. I had bought the car in August and experienced the starting noise from time to time. A month or so after posting, the noise stopped. I think something had a bit of rust on it that caused the hang up and thus the noise. It is possible that the previous owner (who drove it an average of 3200 miles per year) put most of his miles on a few long trips which may have allowed the hang up. I use the car 5 days a week which appears to be enough to eliminate the cause of the hang up.

Theory aside, the fact is that with increased frequency of use, the problem has gone away and hopefully stays away.