Removing the old cracked headgear was awful as it ripped into 20 pieces after falling down the stairs. It took an hour while it would have taken half an hour for a full block. The new lid snapped open with little effort, although starting with a bunch of broken parts it wasn't entirely clear how this all worked. YouTube was my friend as I could see how it all started and understand the orientation of the parts being built. I hope I never have to buy one again, but if I had to, I would. The vacuum cleaner works like new.