Do-It-Yourself Story

I researched online and determined which part I needed to replace. Given the high cost of in home repairs (and other non-related terrible experiences with "licensed professionals"), I decided to take the plunge and buy the part and try to DIY it. I tried to find step by step instructions online for how to replace the part, but I wasn't able to locate any (though there were some general instructions for similar appliances). That was the biggest issue I came cross - If I could have located good instructions this would have went very smoothly - though overall it wasn't a bad experience. I located two hidden screws on the front-bottom of the top control unit. Removed those with a stubby screwdriver. Pulled the unit away from the wall and locate 4 other screws across the top of the back on the unit and removed these. That was enough to fully expose the inside of the top control unit. Removing four visible screws from within that let me get at the existing touch pad. Another unfortunate fact is that with these new components, ease of repair doesn't seem to be a driving factor - the whole touch pad is a giant sticker - I had to peel off the old one and the residual sticky glue from behind it before sticking the new one in place. Also, two flat flimsy wire harnesses attach the pad to the motherboard. I figured out how to clip them into their respective jacks and was back up and running. overall not too bad - a couple hours if I had been able to work uninterrupted, and saved probably a couple hundred dollars on the repair.