Originally Posted by
Phil_SS
For the mirror. I checked the local used foreign parts place and they had a mirror but it was for a blue color car. Which may sound like a problem, but for this car, the mirrors have a removable cover that is painted the color of the car. Pretty smart design, the mirror is the same for all cars and just the cover is a different color. Thus I could buy the used mirror and just get a new cover in the correct color. The cost of the used mirror was $120.
I decided to check the Toyota parts online website for the same part and see how much it would cost just for shits and giggles. And at first it was a pretty big difference, I think it was $280 with the new cover. But they had a deal that if I ordered online that I would get 40% off and free shipping. Thus I would get a brand new mirror and cover for like $168.
So I went with the brand new mirror. The car isn't mine and I would be guaranteed a part that would work. Plus I still would have had to spend another $40 bucks to get the replacement cover. So the cost would have been pretty much a wash. Plus I got the part delivered to my door.
Was a pretty easy replacement process. Watched a youtube video to get the basics. And all I had to do was remove the door cover, remove a couple small panels behind the door panel. Unscrew the three bolts holding on the mirror and unplug its cable from the connector. Then just do the opposite to put on the new mirror. Took about 1/2 hour total.