Q: My car would shake violently when starting, and now it won't start at all.

Hi there. The technician you went to could be on to something there with the shaking and possibly having moisture in the fuel tank. However, it sounds like you could be having an intermittent electrical component fault which can be difficult to trace when everything is working properly.

If the vehicle does not turn over, then the starter is not engaging. Check for a loose battery terminal first and have a battery test performed with a digital tester to determine the cold cranking amps and state of health.

The starter could be faulty with worn contacts internally. Sometimes they complete the circuit, sometimes they don’t. Worn contacts can create intermittent problems and require replacement of the starter assembly to repair. There could also be a relay, ignition switch, or wire harness fault.

Inspecting these items requires the use of a digital volt/ohm meter and the electrical wiring diagram. I strongly suggest acquiring a qualified technician to perform an inspection and avoid replacing unnecessary parts. If you would like to have this scoped out by an expert, a certified professional from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to diagnose the hard start and follow through with repairs.