For some background, I hired a mobile mechanic a year ago to replace the radiator, hoses and fan assembly in my VW Jetta. They charged me $1050 (parts and labor), which I believe was a fair deal less than a traditional repair shop or dealership would have charged, and the car continues to run without issue. I paid them through Venmo when the job was finished.

I recently invited the same mechanic back for a quote to replace the rack and pinion, power steering pump, belt and hose in my 2011 Honda CR-V after the dealership quoted me over $4100. They will do it for just $1750.

However, they are requesting a deposit of nearly 80% of the estimate to cover the cost of parts. While they did do good work for me last year and I don’t want to come across as untrusting, I’m still uneasy about paying such a large deposit, especially when no deposit was collected last time and the only proof I would have of why I had sent them all this money are text messages. I’m also noticing that they are no longer promoting themselves or being recommended in local Facebook groups. To be fair I did not find any negative feedback either, but I have no information about them except a Venmo account and phone number if anything were to go sideways.

Any advice would be appreciated. I would hate to miss out on this good price from a mechanic I’ve used before, but I also don’t want to act foolishly with $1350. I can completely understand them wanting to cover themselves, I’m just trying to do the same.