First, let me say that I am not even an amateur mechanic. I may have replaced a bulb or two and a few air filters over the years, but this (for me) was the most ambitious car repair job I’ve ever taken on, and I’m pleased to say it was (largely) a cinch. The new alternator is working great in my 2009 Honda Accord. The hardest part is getting the original part out. This unit is mounted with only two bolts, but access to them (especially the lower one) is difficult. I’m lucky my friend had a set of deep sockets — my standard depth socket was too stubby to reach, and my kit’s extender just made the tool too long for the space. The deep socket was the “just right” depth I needed. You will also need a detensioning tool to disengage the serpentine belt. The folks at Advance Auto kindly hooked me up with a free rental (no sense in buying a $40 tool you’ll only need once). The cost of this unit, relative to buying locally was MUCH better than anything else I could find, and there’s no need to ship the original back (as is the case at auto parts stores). With this part and about an hour of my time, I was able to save myself hundreds over taking it to a garage. PS: if you can do this on a cold engine, all the better. I got a couple minor burns on the back of one hand because I was impatient, and I kept bumping into hot engine components as I was fishing around.