AIBU to expect this mechanic to fix my car?

[GerardButlersBird]

My car is off the road and I really need it back on the road. I have a son with complex needs who lives at residential school and I need to be able to get to him quickly as necessary.

Two weeks ago it wouldn't start from outside the house. No previous problems. I couldn't get any local mechanics to look at it before Easter so I went online to Click Mechanic and arranged for a mechanic to come the Wednesday after Easter. This was £59 for a diagnostic.

He came.. he said it was the spark plug casings so it needed a new coil pack. So for £129 more he came back the next day and did this. After he'd gone, it wouldn't start again; it has gone into "eco mode" (its a Citroen thing apparently) due to battery dropping below 12v because of our unsuccessful attempts to start it. So I contacted Click Mechanic and next day back him came and sorted this. No further charge.

Come the weekend (2 days later after it had run ok in that time) it dramatically broke down on a busy duel carriageway causing chaos and stopping me getting to my son as planned. Recovery vehicle man's computer thingy said it was "crank shaft sensor" and towed me back home.

I contacted the mechanic again and he came back, tinkered with it and said he "thinks it needs an alternator and maybe a battery too" . He shrugged a bit about the crank shaft sensor thing,

Since then he has apparently been trying to source me an alternator at a good price. My texts to him have been answered by "still looking for a better price". I know I will need to pay for the part but I don't know what else he plans to charge me. He said "don't bother going back through Click Mechanic, I want to see this through and find out the problem".

Is it reasonable to expect him to just fix it? I've paid out £190 I didn't really have and it's still sitting outside, un-driveable.

If I could I'd get it to a Citroen garage .. or any garage... but I barely have any disposable income so I'm very restricted. I've borrowed the £160 so far; I can't keep throwing money at it.

It's not a banger, it's a 2005 Citroen C4 in a good state of repair and with a full service history. It's ideal for getting my son's wheelchair into. I just want it to work again.

No warranty sadly. Sold as seen with a full service and new MOT. Stupidly I thought that was good enough.

And bought from a friend-of-a-friend car dealer

Currently sitting at station having missed my train because I slipped over in thick mud, covered from head to toe down one side and had to go home again and change. Gotta see the funny side I guess.. must have looked hilarious and didn't hurt myself surprisingly, for an old bird!

Going to be late for work obviously. How I miss my car

I think your best bet is to ask around locally to find a good local garage that are honest and transparent about pricing. This mechanic might be but it is hard to know. We moved recently and the first thing we did was canvas locally to find a decent garage.

If you need to keep the car, get the battery checked first. If you can afford to get it taken to local Citroen dealer/specialist and ask for diagnostic cost so you can decide whether to go ahead with results afterwards but just have a set charge to pay first either way.

Electrical/electronic problems are a nightmare in newer older models...built in obsolescence. Once they start playing up it unfortunately tends to lead to them keeping on playing up. Life was much simpler in the days of points and dynamos but not half as comfortable or reliable. ;)

That's the whole car to the specialists, not just the battery.

Good luck OP.

Thank you.. yes I will do that. There is one close-by that I've heard good reports of.. they just couldn't fit me in before Easter when it first broke down. Have to wait for pay day now though.

I'll bear in mind, for the future, the makes of cars that have been recommended above