(correct polarization)

has anyone ever warned a noobie to this operation about the different markings?

anyway the caps that need to be replaced are polarized, meaning they have a + and a -, hook them up backwards and BANG! (sometimes, other times possible fire or a disapointing phhhft sound) the electrolytic's you would be taking out are packaged with the - marked, and its quite clear

if you replace them with the same kind no big deal, but the ones that are preferred, because they last longer, are marked with a + or sometimes just a dot

Instinct tells us to match the markings, but reality is they are marking 2 different things, and its something to keep in mind

If you can hold a soldering iron, and feel that you can safely (to the machine, you can man up) remove and replace fairly easy to handle components then it should be a quick and fairly painless process (those irons get hot!) after a few practice runs on a scrap board