A few days ago I was taking my son to school when I heard a loud bang on the passengers side by the window. Thinking a bird flew into the side of the car, I pulled over to check it out. There was a two inch piece of wood sticking out of the housing for the passenger mirror. I had to get the kid to school but I slowed down on the way back and went to the area where the noise occurred and there it was...a tree branch looming into the road, balancing on the guard rail. It was sticking out three or four feet into the road. I was on my way to work now, so I called the city and let them know that somebody needed to come out and take care of the branch before someone else hit it. Later that night, I saw that it was gone when I came back through. Anyway, it shattered my mirror and cracked the housing pretty good. The motor still works and moves as it normally would. Instead of replacing the entire assembly, would it be reasonable and possible to replace just the outer plastic and glass?

 

You might be better off trying to find a used one. New is ridiculously expensive. I'm not sure what parts of the mirror are sold separately. Usually it's sold as a unit, but not sure.

 

I have had success with used mirrors on ebay. The trick is to match the color and the version. Some are marked "A" and some "B", look under the mirror and shine a light where the part number is. You will see a circled letter. A complete mirror in good shape will be around $300. I have seen just the shells for $200. The best result is with a little luck, you will match the version and color. Replacement is an easy DIY or a small easy project for your favorite body shop.

 

I know it's possible to purchase the outer mirror cover separately. Example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/LEXUS-OEM-F...0/233568615560

I had the same experience, these outer mirror covers are extremely fragile

 

Thanks everybody. I’ll scout eBay and some CL pages to see what I can find.

 

Try calling Belle Lexus in Scottsdale or look at their ebay store. They have the shells for around $90, new. Question is do they have your color. They do a great job and are very easy to deal with.