Subaru Wants $136 for Side Mirror Plastic Cover. Is There a Better Way?

inherentchoice on 29/12/2017 - 16:07
Last edited 29/12/2017 - 19:04 by 1 other user

Unfortunately hit a fruit bat at 110 km/h and it shattered the plastic shell on the front of the side mirror. The rest of the mirror assembly is totally fine.

Now Subaru will sell me a replacement but says it will be $136?!

But it's literally just a very lightweight piece of unpainted plastic like this… https://ssli.ebayimg.com/images/g/tx4AAOSw6X5aDPK0/s-l1600.j…

It just clips in. I think the part number is 91054SC041NN for a 2011 Forester.

Wreckers will give me the entire mirror assembly for $125 but won't 'part-out' the mirror and it seems a waste to buy the entire thing.

I didn't even notice it was gone until the next day, the old one is shattered in the ditch somewhere along the Bruce Highway so repairing it isn't an option.

Will probably just leave the mirror naked until I figure something out.

Automotive

Comments

  • ShannonN on 29/12/2017 - 16:15
    +1

    If there is still some cover left just fiberglass over it sand paint etc
    otherwise get some of that carbon fibre wrap from supercheap and wrap over the torn bits?

    • Presence on 29/12/2017 - 21:50
      +11

      It's a 6 year old car, it's gonna look like complete shit and take a few hours to save less than $100? Fibreglass and paint isn't free.

    • Harold Halfprice on 30/12/2017 - 16:20
      +1

      Wrapping over cracked/torn bits it will look terrible. The cracked part will result in an air bubble under the wrap.

  • oscargamer on 29/12/2017 - 16:19
    +19

    how do you know it was a fruit bat?

    could it have been another type of bat?

    • ramboando on 29/12/2017 - 16:59
      +2

      Maybe it was Eric?

    • malouphix on 29/12/2017 - 17:00
      +7

      Baseball bat?

    • Steptoe on 29/12/2017 - 22:04
      +5

      because it’s an Orange Subaru

    • ireadtermsofuse on 31/12/2017 - 23:20

      Well the splatter obviously smelt of fruit

  • RockyRaccoon on 29/12/2017 - 16:26
    +9

    Try this , it looks very similar and cheaper

    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Car-accessories-Side-mirror-…

    • oscargamer on 29/12/2017 - 16:28
      +2

      are you mad?

      this is it….

      http://www.batworlds.com/fruit_bat_drinking_orange_juice/

    • inherentchoice on 29/12/2017 - 16:44
      +1

      Thank you. This is more like the price I was expecting to pay. Don't think it's quite the right fit though as it says up to 2010 and the shape looks different. Also this is for the right side and I should clarify I'm looking for a left (passenger) side one.

      • samba on 31/12/2017 - 09:48
        +2

        But you can click where it says "Colour" and the two choices are "L Left" and "R Right" so… I doub't they're actual colour choices :)

  • AdamFury on 29/12/2017 - 16:35
    +6

    Honestly I'd look into 3D printing. If you check online you can get a lot of plastic parts 3D printed and sent to you. May be worth looking into.

    • ramboando on 29/12/2017 - 17:01

      I was going to suggest eBay too, or else eBay (might need to set up an alert and wait for it to pop up….could take days, weeks, months, depending on how common - a lot of wreckers and mechanics do this for old spare parts). Failing that….spray paint some cardboard and gaffa tape for a temporary (or unglamorous permanent) fix-up!

    • lostn on 31/12/2017 - 16:20
      -2

      Can you 3D print money?

    • inherentchoice on 29/12/2017 - 17:00

      Thanks this is it. Works out to about $90 AUD. Still cheaper at least.

      • chumlee on 29/12/2017 - 17:03
        +2

        Wait til it's delivered first then you know if it's cheaper option

      • pasey25 on 29/12/2017 - 17:08
        +4

        That was literally a 30 second google of the part number. You may be able to find it even cheaper

  • bobbified on 29/12/2017 - 16:53
    +3

    I guess you can melt 50 grams of shopping bags and mould it yourself.
    (Make sure you use the free shopping bags, not the 15c ones!) :P

  • chumlee on 29/12/2017 - 16:54
    +2

    Buy the whole mirror and sell the rest in parts

  • Islund on 29/12/2017 - 16:58
    +3

    Have a golf and the mirror on the right hand side broke - VWA want $176 for just the glass and wreckers will sell you the whole lot for $20 more.

    VWA may be ripping customers off but then the wreckers are part of a cartel. 😇

    • Caped Baldy on 31/12/2017 - 13:34

      Hmm that's interesting. The mirror on our old golf fell off too. VW wanted around $200 for a replacement. Bought just the mirror for $20 from ebay.

      • Islund on 31/12/2017 - 15:14
        +1

        VWA must have dropped the prices since your incident 😇

  • JimmyF on 29/12/2017 - 18:12

    Now Subaru will sell me a replacement but says it will be $136?!

    Yep…. they sell the mirror as an entire unit sadly.

    • inherentchoice on 29/12/2017 - 18:15
      +2

      No $136 is just for the plastic front shell. The entire mirror assembly is much more.

      • JimmyF on 29/12/2017 - 20:37
        +4

        WHAT!? Thats crazy then….. BOO to them! its like 30c of plastic!

  • Euphemistic on 29/12/2017 - 19:07
    +2

    Can you get chrome covers off eBay? They often have that sort of stuff cheap. If you do t like the chrome, plastic dip or paint it.

    I ordered a set of mirrors for my Forester from the US cheaper than I could buy one locally when I had a similar problem, but more was missing. The problem with that idea was that the US mirrors are set up for right hand drive and angled differently. Meant mucking around switching over the bases off the ones I had, but was still about half price of the local product.

  • neo on 29/12/2017 - 19:49
    +11

    https://partsouq.com/en/search/all?q=91054SC041NN - $63.11 with shipping

    • picklewizard on 29/12/2017 - 19:53
      +2

      Came here to say partsouq!

    • inherentchoice on 16/01/2018 - 14:00
      +1

      Thank you so much. I ordered with these guys on the 2nd and it came today. Was a genuine Subaru part. Perfect fit. Install literally took 1 second to pop it in.

      • neo on 16/01/2018 - 18:59

        You're welcome! That reminds me, I had to order some parts from there!

  • giftcardinspector on 30/12/2017 - 08:20
    +3

    Call up your local wreckers to see if they have your model there. I got a Holden part that Holden wanted around $300 for. Got it for $20

    • Coops1 on 30/12/2017 - 08:32

      Already has, wreckers are only $14 cheaper for whole unit. Ridiculous, but damage is always expensive to fix :(

      • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 30/12/2017 - 16:01
        +2

        Find a self pick a part wreckers. Rip off side mirror and say its off a Datsun

        • ozzpete on 31/12/2017 - 04:17

          Or, just find self pick-a-part wreckers. Take off part you need, and say its for your car (no need to lie about car model, but might help to get price down) .

  • Stevek1960 on 30/12/2017 - 09:02
    +2

    Try these guys they usually have all the bits and well priced also
    http://www.sssauto.com.au/index.php

  • Scab on 30/12/2017 - 09:59
    +3

    Unfortunately hit a fruit bat at 110 km/h and it shattered the plastic shell on the front of the side mirror.

    Did you stop and render assistance to the bat?

    • inherentchoice on 30/12/2017 - 13:05
      +1

      So would you stop at midnight for some roadkill that many consider a pest, but also deliberately destroy a good item so that you can get 15 cents refunded?

      • HumbleCat on 30/12/2017 - 14:34
        +11

        Woah, the joke flew over your head….

        • Munki on 30/12/2017 - 22:03
          +14

          Unlike that bat.

      • Scab on 30/12/2017 - 14:34

        The bat may have lived, you could have at least tried to save it.

        • BartholemewH on 31/12/2017 - 02:53
          +3
          1. They are flying foxes, not fruit bats.
          2. They carry lyssavirus, which is closely related to rabies.
          3. F**k handling a 'bat' that all govt supplied info I've seen says not to.
        • ozzpete on 31/12/2017 - 04:25
          -2

          I agree, should have attempted to assist, and humans (and the pollution we create and damage we do) are much more a "pest" , than a fruit bat flying about at night.

        • Scab on 31/12/2017 - 06:28
          +1

          @BartholemewH:

          They are flying foxes, not fruit bats.

          They are known as both.

        • inherentchoice on 31/12/2017 - 08:04

          @Scab:

          Yes the two names are synonymous.

          Bats of the genus Pteropus, belonging to the megabat suborder, Megachiroptera, are the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. [Original emphasis]

          https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pteropus

        • resisting the urge on 31/12/2017 - 17:23
          -1

          @BartholemewH:
          1. Many of us call flying foxes fruit bats. They are nothing to do with any feral species.
          2. Humans carry many worse things, HIV, Cholera, the list is endless.
          3. Very true, be wary of touching anything with claws and teeth, esp. an injured one. But WIRES and other wildlife carers in the area are easily looked up who will come to take care of it (and are trained to rescue most indigenous species)

          But if a bat blew the mirror, it's probably toast. If it's lying their dying, may be best to end its misery than carry on- but will be very hard to find without if traveling at night, even if you have a good torch!

  • inherentchoice on 30/12/2017 - 13:00

    Thanks for all the suggestions, some are very helpful and I wouldn't have figured out with Google. I will probably order something next week and will give an update once I get it resolved.

    • Xiaomi on 30/12/2017 - 14:45
      -5

      You will probably use the suggestions and probably update everyone on the status of your broken plastic mirror cover.

      That's generous.

  • [Deactivated] on 30/12/2017 - 14:26
    +3

    Anything OEM is going to cost you. Cars are sold with hardly any profit margin. Dealerships make the money by implying servicing through the dealership is better or necessary, and spare parts.

    • Harold Halfprice on 30/12/2017 - 16:30
      +2

      Bullshit they're sold without hardly any profit - If you've ever played hardball and negotiated a good deal on a car you'll see they've got quite a bit of leway.

      Sure a lot of the time they're willing to drop their profit margin if you negotiate, but there would be plenty of suckers that buy at or close to the advertised price.

      • [Deactivated] on 30/12/2017 - 17:27
        +3

        I assume everyone negotiates. A friend used to work for Nissan and they were willing to push cars out at cost. They make their money through bonus stock for selling the most cars. They also get a whole lot of corporate perks if they manage to hit targets.

        I feel sad for the suckers that pay sticker but they are getting rarer and rarer.

        • Harold Halfprice on 30/12/2017 - 18:29

          I'm sure most people try to negotiate - but how many people you reckon stop at the first "That's the best I can do"?

          Definitely agree though - the 'extras' and servicing is where they make a lot of their money.

        • [Deactivated] on 30/12/2017 - 21:15
          +5

          @ILikeBargenz:
          According to said friend, that dealership moves over a third of their stock at cost. Because undercutting is frowned upon, they would purposely advertise stock as demo models but they're not really demos.

          For naive buyers - Never ask "is that the best price?". When negotiating, check forums for lowest price paid. Do not ask questions as that weakens your position. In fact, do not test drive. Every new car drives well and to be honest, most drivers wouldn't detect a flaw if it hits them in the face. Test drives serve the salesperson more than it does the customer.

          Do all your homework online. If you didn't test drive nor asked any questions, you will not feel obliged to do anything. Go in, state the price you want to pay and be prepared to walk away. Rinse, repeat, save.

        • BartholemewH on 31/12/2017 - 02:45

          @tshow:

          I test drive, but only at a convenient dealership that isn't in the hunt price wise. Then hit the keenest dealers as low as I can sight unseen.

        • shopbot on 31/12/2017 - 03:57
          +2

          @tshow:
          Tshow, you are correct. Very common practice to sell new cars at cost or even at loss in the industry. And yes, money comes in from servicing, parts, and financing. Your mate is correct.

        • ozzpete on 31/12/2017 - 04:30

          @shopbot:
          The mechanics at dealerships usually get incentives and bonuses to find and fix things that dont really 'need' to be done.

  • berry580 on 30/12/2017 - 15:57
    +3

    Should you decide to sell your car later down the track and the buyer notices the dodgy side mirrors. It's going to cost you a lot more than $136.

    • Euphemistic on 30/12/2017 - 20:00

      Depends how old the car is and what else might be ‘wrong’ with it. Some people would know a mirrror is easy to fix and be willing to overlook one minor part for an otherwise good car.

  • Harold Halfprice on 30/12/2017 - 16:26
    +2

    Pair of chrome replacements from china, $39 AUD posted. If you don't want the chrome, just paint over it.

    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Chrome-Side-Rearview-Mirror-Cover…

    • LlamaOfDoom on 30/12/2017 - 20:15

      Do this for sure.
      Or if you know anyone in auto industry at all, see if they can get you one at trade price?
      Tried Bursons?

  • sky blu on 30/12/2017 - 18:09
    +2

    So, can you please elaborate more on the fruit bat…

    • Scab on 30/12/2017 - 18:42
      +4

      He killed it.

    • airzone on 30/12/2017 - 20:40
      +1

      The front fell off

    • lostn on 31/12/2017 - 16:30

      Yeah. I want to know how the bat shattered the glass holder. If anything the bat would have hit the plastic (painted) part of the mirror, not the internal black piece. I also didn't think their bodies were hard enough to do that kind of damage. Dent metal maybe. But shattering plastic?

      • sky blu on 31/12/2017 - 16:56

        No, the shattered part was the bat lol.

  • theya on 30/12/2017 - 18:22
    +2

    If the wrecker won't sell you the whole part. Go to a pick your own parts wrecker. Though not sure how they would price just single odd parts like that

  • diddy50 on 30/12/2017 - 19:15

    Gaffer tape? Electrical tape?

  • KLoNe on 30/12/2017 - 19:28
    +3

    100 seems… crazy cheap for that. Cough up.

    • inherentchoice on 30/12/2017 - 22:46

      Thanks. But no shipping to Australia it seems.

  • OzzyOzbourne on 30/12/2017 - 22:47

    How did you know it was a fruit bat.. Was it still stuck in the mirror?

    • inherentchoice on 30/12/2017 - 23:02

      Saw it clearly in the headlights. It suddenly flew out of the deep ditch between the carriageways. I only had like 25 metres to react and I saw it up real close. It was flying left and I swerved right but just clipped it on the mirror.

      Also, it was the middle of the night and there's no nocturnal birds around.

      Furthermore I found some short fur hairs in the mirror housing.

      May have lost the windscreen if I didn't swerve (or if I swerved left instead). Or if I swerved too much this might have happened… https://youtu.be/vKDiQPTqXp0

      You did ask…

  • nobarginsarehere on 31/12/2017 - 01:50

    $136 seems about right

    If you dont think so, try googleing other Subi dealers in NZ, USA, UK etc (like others have done for you)

    Either way be thankful you dont have an expensive car.

  • djmm on 31/12/2017 - 07:28

    Go to Kia and ask them to pricematch

    • lostn on 31/12/2017 - 16:31

      And then Officeworks 5% price beat.

  • Franconian on 31/12/2017 - 12:22

    If you have a self service wrecker nearby you could get the part for much cheaper.

  • El Grande on 31/12/2017 - 12:28

    I need one for my Impreza. The clips broke on the plastic that goes underneath this cover. $56 at Subaru. It's just hanging in there.

  • leoh on 31/12/2017 - 13:14

    Only $25 each (painted) on Taobao if you can read Chinese :)
    https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.220.2e795c64…

    • inherentchoice on 31/12/2017 - 13:46

      Thanks. Great price. Think it's slightly different though. I don't read Chinese but the part number is different and it has a slightly different shape. It also says 08/09/10 which I presume is the model years. Am looking for 2011.

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