ZMonet

I recently had my car inspected by Lexus for a state vehicle inspection (mandatory). This inspection came within a few days and just one trip of the inspection I had by the Lexus dealership in the state I bought the car from. At the first inspection, they didn't identify anything wrong with the vehicle. At the second inspection they said the driver side rear-view mirror was "cloudy" and needed to be replaced to pass inspection. They said it was covered under warranty so I didn't care too much. I get the bill today and again it is covered under warranty, but it was over $500 for just the mirror -- not the entire assembly. Is this really the price?

I know, I know, what should I care since I didn't have to pay, but it just seems wasteful. I can't tell the difference between this mirror and the "cloudy" mirror and I certainly think trying something like glass/mirror polish on the mirror before spending $500+ would be warranted.

What do you guys think?

Habious

Would love to have seen "before" and "after" pictures of the "cloudy" mirror.

Edit: Any chance the inspector was looking at the mirror after dark and it was electrochromatically dimmed?

ZMonet

It was at about 11 AM, so I don't think it was dimmed and one would hope that the Lexus dealer has an understanding of their own cars, but I'm not surprised by anything. Is $500 really the going rate for the mirror alone? I would think a mirror would cost you $50 tops even with Lexus markup. At first I thought they replaced the entire assembly, but nope, just the mirror piece itself.

OBP

i changed my passenger side mirror and that was about $500 (under warranty). They swap the whole assembly, not just the glass.