I didn't just decide to replace it blindly. I'm 45 and all my life has been dedicated to breaking and rebuilding stuff.
Of course I did due diligence and confirmed that the part was actually defective before ordering a replacement. And in my case, it wasn't the electric motor, rather, a small gear that has cracked and started slipping from its shaft is what's causing me a lot of greef.
I figured that I just get it over with and looked for the whole assembly. I eventually found one from a wrecked 2011 Civic (USDM) posted on eBay for $48. Part numbers were almost identical but more importantly, they looked exactly the same.
I replaced the whole assembly myself.
Spending just a little under 2.5k* for the whole latch assembly (including S&H), it's a bargain. I got to learn about the innards of the car door pa.
*Note: My earlier estimate was based on the current Forex. The Forex rate at the time I bought it (March, 2014) was just around P45 to the US Dollar.