I thought I might rebuild the starter on 2004 accord 5MT, (Part no 31231-RAA-A01 - Mitsubishi MHG016), but many of the parts are discontinued. The autozone and Napa guys say it’s cheaper to just replace the entire starter and they didn’t even carry aftermarket parts.
​​​ I’ve searched the web and cannot find the oem parts ( particularly the brush holder) from other sellers. Is my local car parts guy correct?

 

Probably.

Its not cost effective for repair facilities to rebuild these units,so parts houses typically will not carry individual parts.