Forgive me for this may sound very easy and simple for someone and I did look at the manual/schematics but thought I would still ask for help from someone who has done this.
Shop quote is way expensive for this so I thought I'd attempt this on my own since this is not mechanical work so not much to screw up.
Is this as simple as popping out some plastic retainers on the struts and forcing the strut on the ball joint?
Is there more to this?
Would the consensus be to buy brand new OEM struts from Toyota at almost $200/ea, Rockauto at $20-35/ea or Used OEM for $35-45/ea?

Thanks All

 

I recently replaced my hood struts. I got the pair from Amazon for around $25 (Boxi brand). No problems with it. Being a non-critical part, I was comfortable going aftermarket. Also, I noticed mine weren’t OEM as the original owner most likely changed it once before me and they lasted for a good number of years.

There are a few YouTube videos walking through this procedure which is helpful to watch. I would say it’s a simple job overall. I think the difficult part is lining up both sides up to the exact same height. I did mine alone with just a bat to hold up one side as I changed it out and so it didn’t turn out perfect. One side fully extends slightly before the other, but it wasn’t a huge deal to me.

I recommend getting a hook tool which will help with the removal. I also used lithium grease on the ball joints as recommended by many.

 

You can get quality hood struts from lift support depot. I and other members have purchased from them. This is an easy job as described above. Make sure to use a baseball bat or 2x4 or friend to hold the hood up when changing them.

https://www.liftsupportsdepot.com/