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Simple question-are auto electricians the only ones who can replace a starter motor? spoke briefly to one who said that rather than try and recondition the existing one, they'd just put in a new one,which makes me wonder-if this is the case, does it need an electrician to replace it or can it be done by any service provider?

If the problem has been correctly diagnosed and you're sure the starter is the problem, a mechanic can do this job.

AA guy that came out when the car wouldn't start said to tell the auto sparky that the starter motor needed a tap to make it go-the sparky said that this means the bushes are gone, and rather than try and recondition it they'd just chuck in a new one. For a number of reasons, would prefer it if there was an alternative to going back to them-they were just the ones I happened to be passing that were open on Saturday morning, but there's other factors in play that make it so I'd be pleased if I didn't have to return there....

May be you could go to another auto-electrician. This is unlikely to be bushes, but most likely brushes. It shouldn't be all that expensive to repair.

could've been brushes that were mentioned, and I misheard. Will have a look at alternative service providers, though. Have tried to track the potential price of a new starter motor online, and looks like could be over $300 just for the starter itself...Auto electrician said they'd likely have one in stock, but didn't seem overly interested in making sure of this (by asking model numbers, etc, or any other such relevant information...)-which is among the reasons I'm hoping to be able to go elsewhere...