Ford Repair: 2000 Mountaineer door lock actuator, genuine ford parts, mechanical aptitude

Question
I just purchased this vehicle (2000 Mountaineer AWD V8 Premier, 125K miles). The two front doors' lock buttons will not consistently go down or up when the remote lock button is pushed. Sometimes they respond, or one will respond, but not the other. This means I have to use a key to lock/unlock the doors. The keypad also has the same reaction, so I don't think it's the remote or the keypad. The two back doors and hatch DO respond consistently to the remote. I'm assuming the actuators are getting tired and need replacing. Is this something a DIY sort of person could do him/herself? Or is this something for a mechanic to do. I was told labor is 1.5 hours per door and with parts, it's a $500 job! Will a quality aftermarket actuator be a wise choice to use instead of genuine Ford parts? Thank you! (VIN 4M2ZU86P2YUJ02414)

Answer
I think you are probably correct that the actuators are weak. They are not difficult to replace relatively speaking, however you will need a heavy duty riveter that can handle 1/4" rivets and a drill to take out the old rivet. Some of these you may have to even remove the latch to get the actuator rod out. Not knowing your mechanical aptitude, can't say whether you could handle this job or not. The time you quoted sounds about right for a tech that knows what he is doing. A tech with lots of experience at this operation can most likely beat that time.