Easy for some, hard for others, but either way, it's a pain. Honestly, I don't think it's easy, and I've fixed or replaced about every part on a vehicle at some point and time. The fact that it cost $1000-$1200 to have a mechanic do the job says something in itself. Now, having said all that, I'm probably going to replace it myself, but hey, if enough people tell me that it works and had good experiences with it, then I don't mind taking the easy and cheaper way out.