My buddy Mike tried to do his opener swap one Saturday a few years back. He ended up getting the screw stuck halfway through, the spring snapped on him, and the whole thing basically exploded in his garage. He had to call a repair guy who laughed at him for an hour before fixing it. Cost him like double what it would have been if he just hired someone from the start. He still brings it up every time I mention home projects.

spent Thursday just sitting in my car during lunch trying not to cry" - I read this article once that said crying in your car is basically a rite of passage for working adults. Not that it makes it any easier. That sounds like a nightmare week, I'm sorry.

Soap cap at 20 volume on dry hair works faster for me there.

Oh sure, blame the mount after two years of faithful service. That's like accusing your dog of stealing a steak you left on the counter. My guess is you probably set it up on a patch of ground that decided to take a nap (soft dirt or loose gravel maybe?) and your polar alignment slowly went on vacation. Motors are tough little buggers and don't usually just quit mid-exposure unless you kicked them or something.

Congrats on hitting that milestone.