Rear coil springs on Explorer

Hey guys, great forum! Here are the details on my car.....2002 Ford Explorer XLS, V6 4.0L, ~103k miles.

I took it in this weekend for an alignment. Prior to working on it, the mechanic inspected the suspension and found that both rear coil springs are fractured. I asked to look at it first hand, and sure enough they both are completely cracked through. I wound up getting a quote but did not have any work done. When I went home I searched online and the NHTSA website and found that this seems to be a chronic problem with 2002-05 explorers.

At any rate, I need to get the car fixed and have a few questions.

1) The quote I received ($729)breaks down as follows:
2 Coils - $229
2 Struts - $248
4 wheel alignment - $69.95
Labor - $143.00
Tax - $30
I can get the exact same parts that they quoted from a local parts store for ~$336 + tax. How long should this repair take a shop to do and is the labor estimate I received accurate? I am considering buying the parts myself and trying to find a shop to do the repair for me, but I am unsure how receptive shops will be to this.....Also, will they want to charge more for labor since they are not making a profit on the parts?

2) Is this a type of repair a do it yourselfer could tackle on the weekend? I understand I would need to borrow a spring compressor from the local parts store and it would be tougher since I do not have a hoist. But how labor intensive is it?
Or should I let a professional handle it? Gosh....I can't remember exactly what the explorer looks like back there.....you sure its struts, and not shocks?....if the coil springs are sitting on top of the rear axle assembly....you only need a floor jack, really, to lower it down and remove them....not that big of a deal....actually, even if it has struts/springs...places like auto zone may be able to put the new ones together for you....then you just install the finished assembly....The alignment price sounds pretty good, although most times, unless it has had camber/caster kits installed, theres nothing you can set except the toe? The labor seems fair as well to me the prices dont look bad to me, its a few hour job if you have an idea what you are doing and not very hard to do. for a repair shop it it should only take like 2 hours and based on the average labor rates in my area looks like thats what they are charging for.

yes you will need a spring compressor as you know but dont need a hoist just a floor jack and a level solid place to do the work, make sure to block up the front wheels and use jack stands.

some places will let you bring your own parts but wont honor any kind of warranty,and some wont let you, it dont hurt to ask them.

if you do it your self I always have the alignment checked whenever any suspension parts are changed.

Are the struts bad too or are you like me and figure you might as well just change them while you are there? Thanks for the info. I am figuring that the struts should be changed while I am in there since the truck has 103k miles on it. I called and they want more $$$ for the labor if I supply the parts. I'm starting to lean towards doing this myself. I will definitely have the alignment done either way.Car Repair Talk's forum.