There are instructions that tell you how to link up the remote fob with the car. I've done it on my wife's old '95 but not anything newer. It's not that bad.
As for the auto dimming, I'd just graba manual one and it'll never break. I've gone though two in my wife's regal and they're around $30-40 a piece used on the Regal boards.
If you need struts I have a complete set of quickstruts that have 70k on them. THey are firm and I had a knocking noise but I think it was my sway bar (the sound was in the front, not the back).