They aren't all that hard to change out. You can refer to the guide mentioned in Post #2 above.
Take another look at the slip ring when you get it out. The metal casing slides down fairly easily. You might be able to chip away enough of the white epoxy to get a good solder joint on the one you have. You can grind a little notch out of the case in the area of the wires to avoid a short.
The SD slot is part of the WiFi board. Worse case, you just have to replace the WiFi board, which is not difficult. But I would at least try blowing it out with air, then maybe a little contact cleaner sprayed on the card itself (not into the holder), and work the card in and out a few times. Again, changing the WiFi board is not real hard, but if you can get lucky with an "easy way", so much the better.