XLE (I think!) with 50k miles, auto.

Finally figured out what the clunking noise and slight vibration in steering is when I go over bumps. 

According to local Toyota dealership, it's the steering dampener, a little gear-looking gizmo that is rattling around somewhere near the steering column.

But they want $1,000 to replace that little guy (hack, wheeze, cough)!

What I don't understand about that is the part is about $10 from what I've seen and there are videos of people replacing the same part on a similar car (Camry) in about 2-4 hours.

Seems like this should be able to be fixed for about $200-$400 as a result, but maybe I'm missing something?

Just trying to understand this better to see what options I have. Maybe a non-dealer mechanic would help me, but I want to understand why it's so expensive in case it helps me negotiate with someone else.

Any helpful info would be greatly appreciated (including what the heck that thing does)!