Did the mechanic or the shop admit they were at fault? If not, you'll have a hard time actually proving to a court that it was their fault. If it had failed right after leaving the shop you would have a better case. Also, if you're not going to do the work yourself, a big chain repair shop is the worst possible option. These guys are the mechanics that aren't good enough to get a job at a dealership. I used to think they would fuck up cars on purpose just to get more work, but then I realized they just rush the job and don't give a shit that they might never have done repair on your model car before. People trash dealerships for their sky high prices for maintenance and repairs, but they're usually pretty reasonable when you're looking at something more complicated, plus they'll guarantee the work. I'd never take a car in for a simple oil change or brake job though. For their prices, I could literally buy all the tools I needed and high end oil/brake parts everytime I did the job myself.